The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday (Aug 5) accused Japan of "transformation into a war state" as Tokyo beefs up its military stance in the Pacific.

Axar.az informs, citing CNA, that Japan has been gradually moving away from its post-World War II pacifist status - increasing military spending, ramping up defence pacts and deploying missile launchers to its outer islands.

Tokyo's defence minister said Tuesday the military needs to be boosted with a "sense of urgency and crisis", as a new government assessment warned of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.

In a statement carried by North Korean state media, Kim Yo Jong said Pyongyang's "leadership will set up additional military options which are obviously due to Japan's transformation".

"Japan, a war criminal state, is accelerating its transformation into a war state," said her statement published by the Korean Central News Agency.

Kim cited Tokyo's recent test-firing of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles and its May participation in US-led drills in the Philippines as evidence of Washington's support for "dangerous military moves" in the Pacific.

Tokyo is moving "to formulate the possession of the capability for preemptive attack", she said. "We will never remain a passive onlooker to the military evolution of Japan which may pose a grave threat."

It should be noted that on July 30, a destroyer of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted a test launch of a US-made Tomahawk cruise missile.