Why Takaichi’s Japan election victory has sparked North Korea’s ‘childish’ fury

North Korea’s claim that Japan has crossed a diplomatic “red line” by deepening its security partnerships is less about Tokyo’s defence policies than Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election victory, analysts say, as a weaker mandate may have pushed her towards negotiations with Pyongyang. With a commanding majority secured in Sunday’s poll, Takaichi now faces fewer domestic constraints as she signals plans to expand defence cooperation with Western partners and potentially push ahead...

By Julian Ryall