On December 19, local reports revealed that a high-ranking official in the Prime Minister’s Office, responsible for security policy under the Takaichi cabinet, stated that “Japan should possess nuclear weapons.”
The official raised doubts about the reliability of the “nuclear umbrella” (extended deterrence) provided by the US, noting that “the security environment surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe due to the nuclear buildup and development by China, Russia, and the DPRK.”
Kyodo News reported that these remarks were made during a private, off-the-record briefing. The news agency added that “it is highly unusual for a key security figure within the Japanese cabinet to openly mention the necessity of nuclear weapons.”
Since Prime Minister Eisaku Sato’s declaration in 1967, Japan has upheld the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles” as a fundamental national policy. In 1999, Nishimura Shingo, a lawmaker from the Liberal Party, was dismissed from his post as Parliamentary Vice Minister of the Defense Agency after making remarks advocating for Japan’s nuclear armament.
Recently, however, Japan has shown signs of moving to revise the clause “not allowing the entry of nuclear weapons” among the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, citing the nuclear buildup of the DPRK, China, and Russia, as well as Japan’s deepening dependence on the US nuclear umbrella as justification.
