A North Korean state daily has criticized Japan for policies that are supposedly aimed at expanding its territory.

According to the North's Korean Central News Agency, the Minjoo Chosun newspaper said in a statement that Japan was confronting its Northeast Asian neighbors, including South Korea, Russia and China, by claiming parts of their territory as its own.

The paper went on to assert that Japan, which it said was aggravating the political situation in the Asian region by marching in time with the United States, was not qualified to take part in the six-party talks.