North Korea accused Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of inciting confrontation and taking a leading role in anti-Pyongyang activities, the state media said Saturday.

   The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea said Abe's recent statement that the North is fated for collapse is a sign that the country is blindly following the United States.

   The Japanese politician made the remark last week on a TV program after harshly attacking the North for detonating its third nuclear device on Feb. 12 and moving forward with the development of long-range rockets.

   The newspaper monitored in Seoul warned that Tokyo must not forget that it can be targeted by the might of the North.

   "If there is war Japan will not remain unscathed," the media outlet threatened.

   Moreover, it said that Japan must remember that the North Korean people have not forgotten the countless sins committed by Tokyo in the past. Japan ruled Korea as a colony in the first half of the 20th century, which has affected its relations with both South and North Korea.

   The latest attacks against Tokyo come as Pyongyang has threatened on several occasions to turn Seoul and Washington into a "sea of fire" for playing leading roles in pushing through sanctions at the UN Security Council earlier in the month.

   The country also increased its saber rattling as South Korea and the United States engaged in annual joint military exercises starting this month. The Key Resolve exercise ended Thursday, but the Foal Eagle drills will run through the end of April.

(Yonhap News)