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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, December 22 (Xinhua) — China is shocked by the bold statement made by a senior official in the Japanese Prime Minister's Office that Japan should possess nuclear weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday, calling on the international community to exercise heightened vigilance and firmly oppose such remarks.
Such statements openly challenge the post-war international order and the nuclear non-proliferation regime, pose a serious threat to peace and stability in the region and the world as a whole, and represent a complete departure from Japan's commitment to "peaceful development," Lin Jian emphasized at a regular briefing, adding that the claim that this idea is a "personal opinion" is completely unconvincing.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary declined to comment on the statements made by an official close to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Later, the Japanese Defense Minister stated that the possibility of the country revising its non-nuclear principles in the future cannot be ruled out.
According to the Chinese diplomat, right-wing forces in Japan have been advocating for a military buildup for many years, and their desire for remilitarization is becoming increasingly evident. Former Japanese political leaders have claimed that Japan has the capacity to produce nuclear weapons. The country has long produced plutonium and holds stockpiles significantly exceeding civilian nuclear energy needs. Japan is a non-nuclear weapons state, but it has the capacity to produce weapons-grade plutonium.
Lin Jian noted that the latest statements by a high-ranking official are yet another example of Japanese right-wing forces' attempts to "remilitarize" and "re-arm" the country.
"If the Japanese side continues to challenge international justice and probe the international community's red lines despite widespread condemnation, China's response will be a resounding 'no,'" promised a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
Documents that have international legal force, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Declaration, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, clearly stipulate that Japan must be completely disarmed and have no industries that would allow it to re-arm for war, Lin Jian recalled.
He pointed out that, in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Japan, as a non-nuclear-weapon state, is obliged to fully comply with the provisions of “not accepting, producing, acquiring, or transferring nuclear weapons.”
“These are international legal obligations that Japan must fulfill and which should not be used as bargaining chips for political bargaining,” the Chinese diplomat emphasized.
The Japanese militarists, Lin Jian continued, unleashed a war of conquest and committed inhuman atrocities that became the darkest page in human history.
"Despite its defeat in World War II, Japan has never been able to completely rid itself of the vestiges of militarism. Certain forces within Japan are not only unable to rethink the history of aggression but also express strong dissatisfaction with the post-war international order," Lin Jian stated.
"If right-wing forces in Japan are allowed to freely develop powerful offensive weapons or even possess nuclear weapons, it will once again bring disaster to the entire world," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman warned.
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