Japan warns about North Korea gas weapons

The Prime Minister of Japan warns sternly that the strict country of North Korea, may have the same capability to launch gas missiles that do even more damage.

Mr Shinzo Abe was speaking, amid rising concern that Pyongyang was poised to throw down the gauntlet to Donald Trump with a nuclear test.

International tensions have been mounting after analysts said the rogue regime was preparing a nuclear test site ahead of a key anniversary on Saturday – occasions when North Korea has been known to test its military hardware.

Meanwhile, a US navy strike group continued to steam to North Korean waters, a show of force by Donald Trump after he vowed that Washington would act alone to confront the reclusive state over its military buildup, despite the fact that the prime minister of Japan warns.

Mr Trump is concerned over North Korea’s plans to develop a missile which could reach the continental United States, but Pyongyang is more likely to target either South Korea or Japan with a strike.

“The security situation around our country is getting increasingly severe,” Mr Abe said as he addressed the Japanese parliament’s diplomacy and defense committee.

“We have just talked about Syria. There is a possibility that North Korea already has a capability to put sarin on warheads to strike the ground,” he said.

North Korea is not a signatory to the international Chemical Weapons Convention.

It is thought to have as many as 5,000 tonnes of chemical weapons, a stockpile which reportedly has 25 types of agents, including Sarin.

Pyongyang has carried out five nuclear tests since 2006, including two last year.

Observers predict that the North is most likely to carry out a test on Saturday, the 105th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung.

But South Korean officials said there was no increased activity to suggest that a test was imminent, while Japan said military action was unlikely.