Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi Photo: Screenshot from TBS News
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi emphasized on Tuesday that the Japanese government “firmly upholds the Three Non-Nuclear Principles as a policy guideline” in response to inquiry regarding Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s attempt to review the long-standing policy.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Koizumi said that regarding the review of the “non-introduction,” one component of Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles of “not possessing, not producing, and not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons,” he would follow the position expressed in a 2010 Diet meeting by then Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Sankei Shimbun reported.
Recently, Koizumi has made ambiguous statements regarding the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles.”
On November 6, during a TBS program, referring to US’ late-October approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines, Koizumi stated the need to consider introducing nuclear submarines for Japan.
As of Monday, four Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers from Hiroshima, including former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, said in interviews that they oppose any revision of the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles” and believe the policy should be upheld.
Kishida said he would refrain from commenting on media speculation about Takaichi’s possible review on the issue but stressed that his own position remains unchanged from when he was in office. He indicated that his stance remains unchanged from that of past administrations, which have consistently upheld the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles” as a national policy, according to Hiroshima Peace Media Center.
Global Times
AloJapan.com