N. Korea slams Japan's missile reinforcement, joint drills with US

What happened: North Korea criticized Japan's push for "preemptive attack" capabilities and the Keen Sword drills with the US, citing Tokyo's deployment of a Type 25 anti-ship missile launcher during the exercise. Key numbers: Keen Sword ran Oct. 19-29 across Japan. The Type 25 missile system has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers. Why it matters: Pyongyang said Japan's military moves are a "cancer-like factor" that brings a "vicious cycle" of escalating regional tension, and claimed Japan's power has shifted from "defense" to "attack.

North Korea criticized Japan's push for "preemptive attack" capabilities and the Keen Sword drills with the US, citing Tokyo's deployment of a Type 25 anti-ship missile launcher during the exercise.

Pyongyang said Japan's military moves are a "cancer-like factor" that brings a "vicious cycle" of escalating regional tension, and claimed Japan's power has shifted from "defense" to "attack.