Tokyo: Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has signalled a major shift in the country’s security policy, saying Japan should openly discuss acquiring nuclear weapons and building nuclear-powered submarines without hesitation. Speaking in a TV interview, he said that, given the security crisis looming over Japan, refusing even to discuss the issue would be a grave mistake. He described the idea that the issue cannot be discussed as tantamount to turning a blind eye to the crisis the country faces. His remarks have raised the prospect of a review of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles that Japan adopted in 1967 and has followed strictly for decades.
Koizumi linked his stance to threats from the country’s neighbours. North Korea is testing nuclear-capable missiles in the Sea of Japan, China is steadily increasing its military influence around Taiwan and the East China Sea, and Russia has taken a more aggressive posture since the Ukraine war. International affairs professor Stephen Nagy said Japan’s long-standing allergy to nuclear weapons appears to be waning, and that Beijing, Pyongyang and Moscow have contributed to this through their actions. Koizumi also cited Europe, noting that Finland has amended its laws to allow nuclear weapons to be deployed on its soil and that France is strengthening its nuclear defences.
The Japanese government is set to review three key national security documents by the end of this year, and the new policy could include major decisions on the non-nuclear principles. The third principle, which bars nuclear weapons from Japanese soil, has been the most debated. If it were lifted, the United States could deploy its nuclear weapons in Japan in future. Negotiations on the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines are also reported to be progressing, with a top US Navy official recently expressing support for Japan’s proposal.
The remarks have met opposition at home, where memories of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have left deep public aversion to nuclear weapons. Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki Shiro expressed deep regret over the minister’s views, calling nuclear weapons a “great sin,” and urged the government to abandon the illusion of peace through nuclear arms and stay committed to its non-nuclear principles. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan currently adheres to the principles and supports a world free of nuclear weapons. However, when asked whether the new security policy would remove them, she declined to comment.
The debate comes as the United Nations has issued a stark warning on global nuclear risks. Addressing a high-level meeting in New York, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world faces its most dangerous nuclear crisis since the Cold War, with countries increasing and modernising their stockpiles. He warned that, without dialogue, a small misunderstanding could prove disastrous, adding that no one can win a nuclear war and it should never be fought. Japan’s UN ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki said Tokyo remains committed to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and will continue to remind the world of the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.