"Judging from Japan's recent military movements and spate of outbursts made by its ruling quarters," read the statement, "the present Japanese government… is keen on militarily confronting the DPRK at any cost by making an 'emergency on the Korean peninsula,' a fait accompli."

The statement refers to Tokyo's October 27 war exercise involving more than 32,000 sailors in their so-called Self Defense Force, 110 warships including destroyers, and 180 warplanes. They were simulating conditions of a military "emergency on the Korean peninsula."

Beating the war drums, former Japanese defense official Shingo Nishimura — who was recently forced to resign after advocating that Tokyo acquire nuclear arms — repeated a familiar claim. He "groundlessly linked the DPRK again with the intrusion of 'mysterious ships' into Japanese waters," according to the north Korean press release. Earlier this year south Korean forces sunk a DPRK patrol boat that was protecting fishing vessels off the north Korean coast, after the fishermen were repeatedly harassed Seoul's warships. Washington used the incident as a pretext to deploy more naval power in the area.

One day prior to Tokyo's combat exercises, Washington and Seoul launched operation Foal Eagle '99, an annual U.S.-spearheaded war drill. The 11-day joint military maneuvers span more than two-thirds of south Korea.

An overwhelming 500,000 of south Korea's 600,000 soldiers are engaging with 30,000 U.S. troops in Army field training, Navy landing exercises, and nighttime war tactics. At least two U.S. Navy vessels, the USS Juneau and the USS Germantown, are accompanying their Seoul naval counterparts in the war-training exercise.

"The 'Foal Eagle' joint military exercise the U.S. and South Korean ruling quarters plan to stage in the whole area of South Korea from October 26 to November 5," read the DPRK statement, is an act of "aggression aimed at a forestalling surprise attack on the DPRK." The declaration called the war drills "a vicious challenge" to the will of Korean people and a move to reinforce the decades-long forced division of north and south.  
 
 
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