15:26 JST, June 20, 2024
Japan has increased its vigilance after Russia and North Korea signed a new treaty pledging to defend each other in the event of an attack on either country.
There are fears that stronger ties with Russia will boost North Korea’s nuclear and missile development. Japan plans to counter this in cooperation with the United States, South Korea and other countries.
Bilateral ties reach ‘alliance’
The new treaty was signed on Wednesday by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited Pyongyang. Putin clarified the military elements of the treaty in a joint briefing with Kim, saying it stipulated mutual support in the event of aggression against either country. Kim said the bilateral relationship had reached the point of an “alliance.”
Kim apparently had in mind the Treaty of Amity, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance signed in 1961 between the Soviet Union and North Korea, which established an obligation to provide immediate military and other assistance in the event of an armed attack on a of the parties or in the event of a war. The treaty was called the ‘automatic intervention clause’, but expired in 1996 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Deteriorating safety
“The security environment surrounding our country, including the strengthened military partnership between Russia and North Korea, is becoming increasingly serious,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference on Wednesday. Hayashi expressed Japan’s intention to closely monitor developments between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Japan is nervous that Russia and North Korea will strengthen their ties in response to long-term Russian aggression in Ukraine. North Korea is believed to have supplied Russia with ammunition, while Russia gifts North Korea with refined oil products and military technology.
“Russia’s technical cooperation could accelerate North Korea’s nuclear and missile development,” a Japanese government official said.
The Ministry of Defense is also concerned. Russia illegally occupies Japan’s northern areas, and deepening cooperation between Russia and North Korea could lead to increased military pressure on Japan and complicate the security environment around Japan.
Japan will strengthen security cooperation with the United States and South Korea while maintaining strong sanctions against Russia over its continued aggression in Ukraine.
