Doha: North Korea on Tuesday denounced Japan's recent joint naval exercise with the United States off the coast of the Philippines.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued the criticism, citing a joint naval exercise conducted by Japan, the US, and France earlier this month in waters near the Philippines. The exercise involved American and French aircraft carriers and a Japanese warship, which North Korea claims is an attempt to revive militaristic invasion ambitions.

North Korea accused Tokyo of threatening the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region and creating a new conflict structure, as reported by South Korea's News Agency (Yonhap). The deployment of a Japanese aircraft carrier to a location unrelated to its defense-only posture and its cooperation with foreign forces suggests that "militarists' overseas invasion ambitions have entered an implementation state," according to the KCNA.