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North Korea has vowed to put US military bases in Japan "under radioactive clouds" if war breaks out.

Kim Jong-un 's regime issued the chilling warning and reminded Japan of the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

The threat comes as Japan debates whether to change its anti-war constitution as fears of a conflict between the US and North Korea increase.

The warning of a nuclear strike against the US bases in Japan appeared in the North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun.

It said: "In case of a nuclear war on the peninsula, Japan - that houses logistic bases, launching bases and sortie bases of the US forces - will be put under radioactive clouds before any country.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS)

"If Japan is truly concerned about its interests, it has to make due efforts for the peaceful settlement of the Korean peninsula issue.

"As the first country in the world that suffered A-bomb disaster, Japan knows better than others how terrible the nuclear disaster is.

"The Japanese authorities should behave with discretion, clearly understanding that it is Japan which will be affected most once a war breaks out on the peninsula."

Tensions have been rising between North Korea and South Korea - backed by western allies including Japan and the US - in recent months.

The North carried out two nuclear missile tests last year and a steady flow of ballistic launches designed to intimidate the South and its western allies.

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The US responded by sending the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the Korean peninsula for joint military tests with other countries.

Meanwhile, the North launched dozens of ballistic missiles to mark the 85th anniversary of its army.

There were also terrifying military parades through the streets of its capital, Pyongyang, to celebrate the Day of the Sun - the anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of the state.

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The country also claims it is bolstering its nuclear defences.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Rodong Sinmum: "In order to check such high-handed and arbitrary practices and defend the sovereignty and the right to existence of the country and the nation, and to contribute to regional peace and security and genuine international justice, the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name for North Korea) has been bolstering its nuclear deterrence despite manifold difficulties.

"The DPRK is fully ready to respond to any option taken by the US, and unless it withdraws its hideous hostile policy toward the DPRK and nuclear threat and blackmail, the DPRK will continue to bolster its military capabilities for self-defence and preemptive nuclear attack with the nuclear force as a pivot."

US president Donald Trump previously vowed to "solve" the North Korea problem and ordered an armada, led by the USS Carl Vinson, to cross the Pacific to the Korean peninsula.

He also warned there could be a "major, major war" in the region.

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But Trump struck a more diplomatic tone this week, saying he would be "honoured" to meet Kim Jong-un.

He said: "If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honoured to do it... under the right circumstances I would meet with him."

(Image: REUTERS)

Yesterday North Korea accused the US of pushing the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war after a pair of its strategic bombers flew over the area in a training drill with the South Korean air force.

The two supersonic B-1B Lancer bombers were deployed amid rising tensions over North dogged pursuit of its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of United Nations sanctions and pressure from the US.

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South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a briefing in Seoul that Monday's joint drill was conducted to deter provocations by the North and to test readiness against another potential nuclear test.

North Korea said the bombers conducted "a nuclear bomb dropping drill against major objects" in its territory at a time when Trump and "other US warmongers are crying out for making a preemptive nuclear strike" on the North.

"The reckless military provocation is pushing the situation on the Korean peninsula closer to the brink of nuclear war," the North's official KCNA news agency said on Tuesday.

Chinese president Xi Jinping previously urged all sides to remain calm, urging the US and North Korea to "meet each other half way" in a phone call with President Trump.