N Korea warns Japan of 'fatal fiasco' if it blindly follows US

It said Japan's cabinet had approved a statement defending American use of cluster bombs in Iraq, saying the targets were "carefully selected" and that the US military "strove to prevent civilians from falling victim" to them.

"This was nothing but Japan's shameful act of flattery and servile support for its master, the US," said the report, quoting a commentary in the North Korean ruling party mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun.

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"Japan's act of supporting and shielding the US use of weapons of mass destruction indicates that it will leave no means untried for overseas aggression as the US does," it said.

"The Japanese authorities are well advised to bear in mind that if they continue acting blindly to the tune of the US out of their senses, they will only meet a fatal fiasco," the report said.

A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said the statement, passed by the cabinet on May 7 in response to an opposition legislator's question, merely "acknowledged" the US stance, however, and did not amount to approval.

The United States has drawn criticism from rights groups for its use of cluster bombs in Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts.

The weapons explode and release hundreds of smaller bomblets that disperse over a wide area. Three US soldiers were injured in early May when a suspected US cluster bomb exploded inside a major US base in northern Iraq.