North Korea said it would consider Japanese sanctions as an act of war. Japan has threatened to halt food, and other aid because North Korea tried to deceive Japan about whether a kidnapped Japanese girl was alive. In the 1970s and 80s, North Korea kidnapped dozens of Japanese, to use as language trainers for North Korean spies and commandoes. North Korea eventually admitted it had done this, partly to get more economic aid from Japan. But recently, the bones of a Japanese woman North Korea said had died in captivity were returned to Japan. DNA tests on the bones found they were not of the known victim. Japan threatened to cut off food aid if North Korea did not come clean on the fate of the kidnapped woman. North Korea has responded by threatening war. Everyone understands that this is just more bizarre behavior from a cornered and bankrupt North Korean dictatorship. But the Japanese are seriously ticked off at a long line of nasty behavior by North Korea.