Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada warned today that North Korea may have already completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test, all while conducting a spate of test missile launches that began at the start of this year.
Hamada also said during a parliamentary session that Pyongyang's weapons technology has developed "at a rapid pace," acknowledging it has become "more difficult to intercept" missiles it launches, according to KYODO NEWS.
He expressed wariness that Pyongyang might conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017 in the not-so-distant future, given the progress of repair work at the nation's only known nuclear test site, in Punggye-ri in the nation's northeast.
North Korea has repeatedly fired missiles, including a recent ballistic projectile that was the first to fly over the Japanese archipelago in five years. Pyongyang is banned from using ballistic technology and carrying out nuclear tests under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The launch last week of the intermediate-range ballistic missile, which Japan's Defense Ministry said traveled about 4,600 kilometers, has fueled fears that North Korea could engage in further military provocations.
