Israeli minister in Japan: Iran may become ‘tomorrow’s North Korea’

Iran “must be contained so that it doesn’t become tomorrow’s North Korea,” Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz says during a state visit to Japan.

In a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, Katz urged Japan to support efforts to amend the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers.

In a statement, Katz says, “Japan is on the front line facing North Korea just as Israel is on the front line facing Iran. The lesson from North Korea is that dictatorships must not be allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities, and Iran must be prevented from acquiring the missile capabilities with which it could threaten the region and the entire world.”

According to the statement from Katz’s office, Kono responded that Japan sees the connection between Iran’s threats against Israel and North Korea’s against Japan, and that his country supports enforcement of the nuclear deal and steps against additional actions Iran is undertaking that are undermining the stability of the Middle East.