NKorea says Japan ties inch toward "dangerous phase"
TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday that its relations with Japan were inching toward a "dangerous phase of explosion" and reiterated that Tokyo imposing economic sanctions would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
Public anger in Japan over Pyongyang's abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s combined with concern over its nuclear arms programmes have led to calls for sanctions against the reclusive communist state.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, however, has been cautious about Tokyo taking that step unless the United States and other countries also act.
"The DPRK (North Korea) clearly stated more than once that it would regard any sanctions against it as a declaration of war," said a commentary in the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried by Pyongyang's KCNA news agency.
"Nevertheless, the Japanese reactionaries are contemplating the application of economic sanctions against the DPRK," the commentary said.
"The hostile relations between the two countries are now inching close to the dangerous phase of explosion.
"Under this situation the DPRK is left with no option but to take a decisive counter-measure. The army and the people of the DPRK value its sovereignty as their life and soul and will never allow anyone to infringe upon it," [no one has challenged North Korea's sovereignty - ed.] it added.
If the DPRK explodes a nuclear weapon, there is no way that nuclear weapons can be denied to South Korea, Japan, or Taiwan. This is a situation that will be tolerated by neither China nor anyone else.
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