On the 18th, it was reported that a senior official in the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office, responsible for security policy under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, commented to reporters, stating in a personal capacity that “Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons.”
According to Kyodo News and the Asahi Shimbun, the official mentioned the increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan, highlighting the nuclear weapons buildup and development by China, Russia, and North Korea. The official also questioned the reliability of the nuclear umbrella provided by the United States and expressed the view that Japan requires its own nuclear weapons.
Kyodo News reported that the statement was made during an unofficial interview on the condition of non-reporting.
The report added that the official’s statement “significantly deviates from the Japanese government’s position, which aims to realize a ‘world without nuclear weapons’ as the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks in war,” and suggested it might provoke backlash both domestically and internationally.
It further noted that there was a precedent in 1999 when Liberal Party’s Shingo Nishimura was dismissed from his position as a Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Defense for making remarks about nuclear armament.
However, the official clarified that there are currently no discussions within the Takaichi administration about possessing nuclear weapons.
He did not specify a target time frame for acquiring nuclear weapons and remarked that having them is not as simple as buying something from a convenience store.
Additionally, Asahi reported that the official recognized the difficulty of actually possessing nuclear weapons due to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Japan’s “Three Non-Nuclear Principles.”
Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles, declared by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1967, are that the country will not possess, produce, or allow the introduction of nuclear weapons.
It is known that Prime Minister Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are considering changing the prohibition on the introduction of nuclear weapons, a rule maintained by previous prime ministers, in light of the U.S. extended deterrence.
The official who mentioned the necessity of nuclear possession said he is not discussing a review of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles with Prime Minister Takaichi.
Since taking office in October, Prime Minister Takaichi has advocated for a “strong Japan” and is pursuing measures to enhance defense capabilities and increase defense spending.
[Photo source: Reuters=Yonhap News]
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