This report which reflects Japan's defense strategy to be carried out for a decade to come openly hinted "Japan's access to capability for preemptive attack", stressing the necessity of "deterrence and combined capability to cope with the increasing missile threat from north Korea". It also underlined the need to bolster up the capacities such as reinforcement of the operational foundation of the "Self-

Defense Forces" and the U.S. forces in Japan to cope with the "possibility of guerrilla and special units' actions accompanied by "missile attack".

This is a provocative claim negating the root cause of the escalating regional tension. It is nothing but a broad hoax of Japan to justify its moves to turn it into a military giant which have gone beyond the danger line.

The escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula and other parts in the region is mainly attributable to the U.S. persistent hostile policy toward the DPRK and its military build-up in the region.

Recently the U.S. has worked hard to disturb all conditions and environment for the DPRK's peaceful economic construction and its efforts to improve the people's living standard, a vivid expression of the former's hostile policy toward the latter.

Japan is zealously toeing Washington's policy toward the DPRK to give spurs to its militarization and realize its ambition for overseas invasion.

In May last, the Japanese minister of Defense blustered on various occasions "Okinawa, Guam and Hawaii play important roles in ensuring security in East Asia", it is "very important to increase the U.S. military presence" in the region and the like. This is a clear indication of Japan's ulterior design.

Moreover, he said at the Asian security meeting that "north Korea's nuclear and missile development poses threat to the peace and security of the world community", openly revealing Japan's aim to bolster up its defense capabilities and exercise the right to collective self-defense.

Early in July, in particular, it once again pushed for the SDF's "access to capability for preemptive strike", claiming that it should examine "capability for preemptive strike at enemy bases" to cope with "future crisis" though the U.S. army has been in charge of it.

As a matter of fact, Japan has shown exceptional zeal in offering a base and technology as regards the expansion of the U.S. missile shield in East Asia. Taking this opportunity, Tokyo is frantically accelerating the nuclear weaponization and space militarization.

All these facts indicate that Japan's moves to strain the situation on and around the Korean Peninsula are directly linked with its scenario to meet its selfish interests by fanning up the anti-DPRK atmosphere in the region.

Japan is loudmouthed about "nuclear and missile threat from north Korea" to calm down the vigilance of Asian countries against it and its claim for access to "capability for preemptive strike" under that pretext. But no country will agree with its assertion.

This is because Japan's assertion is too unreasonable and illogical to justify its sinister aim.

As universally known, Japan offered its territory to the U.S. as an overseas logistic base for carrying out its Asia strategy after the Second World War. It along with south Korea has become a key source of the escalating tension in the region.

It is the only way of defusing the tension on the peninsula and in the region to force the U.S. to roll back its hostile policy toward the DPRK and pull its troops out of Japan and south Korea.

Japan would be well advised to behave with reason, aware that to do so would be beneficial to its security.