North Korea on Tuesday criticized Japan's push to acquire "preemptive attack" capabilities and last month's regular military drills between Washington and Tokyo, warning that such moves would invite a "vicious cycle" of escalating regional tensions. In an article carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, a military commentator took issue with Tokyo's deployment of a Type 25 longer-range anti-ship missile launcher during the bilateral Keen Sword exercise that took place across Japan from Oct. 19-29. The Type 25 missile system with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers is part of Tokyo's efforts to bolster its "counterstrike" capabilities against potential enemy attacks. "Japan, a defeated nation accelerating its transformation into a warfighting state after throwing off the veil of 'pacifist state,' persists in its moves to acquire the capability for making a preemptive attack," the commentator said. "Its latest example is the participation of the type 25 surface-to-ship guided missile launcher of the Ground Self-Defence Forces in the largest-ever joint military drill Keen Sword