North Korea threatens nuclear strikes on Japan reminding it of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings

North Korea will put Japan "under radioactive clouds" even before hitting any other country if a nuclear war breaks out in the Korean peninsula, the hermit nation warned on Tuesday (2 May), reminding the country of the massive devastation caused by the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

"In case of a nuclear war on the peninsula, Japan that houses logistic bases, launching bases and sortie bases of the US forces will be put under radioactive clouds before any country," North Korean state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun wrote.

Accusing the Japanese leadership of spreading rumours about the crisis in the peninsula, the paper added: "If Japan is truly concerned about its interests, it has to make due efforts for the peaceful settlement of the Korean peninsula issue."

The publication added that soon after the US conducted a "preemptive attack" on Syria against a chemical attack in the rebel-held region in the war-torn Middle East nation in March, Japan's leaders took the lead in spreading rumours that tensions were rising in the Korean peninsula.

Tokyo's aim was to give a boost to its "reeling economy" with orders of new war supplies from the US amid a raging war in the peninsula "and thus gain a windfall just as it did during the past Korean War", the publication quoted analysts as saying.

The analysts also took a dig at the recent incident where Japan dispatched its biggest warship to escort a US supply vessel for refuelling, marking the first implementation of a new Japanese security law allowing extended use of the country's Self-Defense Forces.

Japan's aim in spreading the rumours is also "to step up the constitutional modification which it has so far attempted with the possible crisis on the peninsula as a pretext, and to put spurs to the "Self-Defense Forces" overseas dispatch," the Kim Jog-un regime mouthpiece wrote.

The paper cautioned Japan against fuelling tensions in the region, which is already on the brink of a war due to constant threats from both Pyongyang and Washington.

"As the first country in the world that suffered A-bomb disaster, Japan knows better than others how terrible the nuclear disaster is.

"The Japanese authorities should behave with discretion, clearly understanding that it is Japan which will be affected most once a war breaks out on the peninsula," the publication added.