It comes as Japan’s defence minister warned North Korea’s threat has grown to a “critical and imminent level” and as Japanese, South Korean and American naval forces begun military drills last week.
Henry A Kissinger, who served as nuclear strategist during the Cold War, revealed he has little doubt about where things are headed amid fears the world is on the brink of war.
He said: “If North Korea continue to have nuclear weapons… nuclear weapons must spread in the rest of Asia.
“It cannot be that North Korea is the only Korean country in the world that has nuclear weapons, without the South Koreans trying to match it. Nor can it be that Japan will sit there.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has pledged to modify the Japan’s constitution’s peace clause by 2020, won a major election victory last weekend and experts believe support for his “military assertiveness” may have increased because of North Korea recent provocations.
In August North Korea fired three projectiles into the Sea of Japan as well as an intermediate range ballistic missile over the nation, which at the time sparked its J-Alert warning system, telling its citizens to be prepared for a possible attack.
South Korea has also been ramping up is missile defences and offensive arsenal in response to threats from its despotic northern neighbour.
In August, following North Korea’s launch of two intercontinental ballistic missiles, South Korea appealed to the US to raise the limit of its missile power.
At the time, Pentagon spokesman US Navy Captain Jeff Davis said: “There is currently a limit on the warhead size and missiles that South Korea can have and yes, it is a topic under active consideration here.
“I would tell you that we would be favourably inclined to do anything which furthers the defence capabilities of South Korea and we certainly have seen our alliance change and adapt over time before.”
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis yesterday vowed that the US will never accepted a nuclear North Korea as he threatened possible military action.
He said: ”Make no mistake – any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated.
“And any use of nuclear weapons will be met with a massive military response that is both effective and overwhelming.