Japan's Defense Minister Asked For The Possibility That North Korea Had Prepared For A Nuclear Trial

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada (Wikimedia Commons/US Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada warned Thursday that North Korea may have completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test, while carrying out a series of missile launch tests that began earlier this year.

Minister Hamada said during the parliamentary session Pyongyang's weapons technology had grown "at high speed," admitting it became "more difficult to intercept" the missile it launched, according to Kyodo News Oct. 13.

He said Pyongyang's vigilance may have carried out its first nuclear test since September 2017 in the not too distant future, given the progress of repair work at the country's only known nuclear test site, in Punggye-ri in the northeast.

Minister Hamada said Pyongyang is believed to have had a mini nuclear weapon, while it has also developed hypersonic weapons technology and missiles that can fly on irregular tracks.

Despite these developments, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at the same parliamentary session, UN Security Council resolution aimed at thwarting Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and ballistic missiles "have been working effectively, given North Korea's severe economic situation."

Hayashi added that Japan will continue to work closely with other countries such as the United States and South Korea to ensure the full implementation of the resolution, which was adopted from 2006 to impose sanctions on Pyongyang.

North Korea has repeatedly fired missiles, including recent ballistic projectiles which were the first to fly over the Japanese archipelago in five years. Pyongyang is barred from using ballistic technology and conducts nuclear tests under UN Security Council resolutions.

Last week's mid-range ballistic missile launch, which Japan's Ministry of Defense said covered a distance of about 4,600 kilometers, has sparked fears North Korea could engage in further military provocations.

Earlier on the same day, North Korea's official Central News Agency (KCNA) reported leader Kim Jong-un overseeing the firing ground of two long-range strategic cruise missiles directly the previous day.

Leader Kim was quoted by KCNA as emphasizing North Korea should "focus all efforts on the endless development of nuclear weapons and acceleration".