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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
TOKYO, November 16 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering revising the country's three non-nuclear principles, a move that is likely to spark a backlash, according to the Kyodo News Agency.
In updating Japan's National Security Strategy and two related documents, last revised in 2022, Takaichi is exploring the possibility of revising the third principle, which prohibits the import of nuclear weapons into Japan, Kyodo News Agency reports, citing government sources.
If this principle is changed, it would be a significant shift in the country's security policy and would almost certainly provoke a negative reaction at home and abroad, the report said.
The Three Non-Nuclear Principles include the renunciation of nuclear weapons, the renunciation of nuclear weapons production, and a ban on the import of nuclear weapons into Japan. They were formulated in 1967 by then-Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and later approved by a Diet resolution.
The National Security Strategy, one of three documents approved by the cabinet in 2022, states: “The core policy of adherence to the three non-nuclear principles will remain unchanged in the future.”
While Takaichi does not intend to reconsider Japan's position on renunciation of the possession and production of nuclear weapons, she believes that a ban on the import of nuclear weapons into the country could prevent American nuclear-armed ships from entering Japanese ports, weakening US nuclear deterrence, the report said.
During a recent hearing before the Budget Committee of the lower house of parliament, S. Takaichi avoided answering a question about whether her defense and security policy would be consistent with the three principles that Japanese governments have adhered to for decades.
An editorial in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun notes that as a country that survived the atomic bombings, Japan has enshrined the Three Non-Nuclear Principles as a state policy that has long enjoyed widespread support among the population.
S. Takaichi must understand that the policy of adherence to the three non-nuclear principles cannot be changed by a hasty decision by the prime minister, the article says. –0–
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