Japan Condemns N. Korea's Nuclear Strike Threats in Response to Washington

The Japanese government officially disapproved Pyongyang's plans to impose a preemptive measures by millitary means in response to a feasible threat posed by the South Korean-US joint armed drills, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — The Japanese government condemns Pyongyang's plans to launch a so-called preemptive nuclear strike in response to alleged threat posed by the South Korean-US joint military drills, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday.

On Monday, the Seoul-Washington annual joint exercises kicked off in South Korea. Shortly before that, Pyongyang promised to launch a nuclear strike "of justice" in case North Korea was "even slightly" threatened.

"The fact that North Korea, in response to the UN Security Council resolution and the joint exercises of the United States and South Korea, not only fails to demonstrate the desire to stop the nuclear and missile programs, but also expresses outrage and takes provocative action is uhttp://live.russia.tv/nacceptable," Suga told reporters.

He stressed that Japan was calling on North Korea to stop provocations and abide by the UN Security Council resolutions.

Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to extend existing sanctions on Pyongyang in response to the country’s fourth nuclear bomb test in January and long-range rocket launches in breach of the existing Security Council resolutions.