China sounds alarm over nuclear weapons talk by Japanese minister

China's Foreign Ministry has described a suggestion by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi that Japan should discuss nuclear weapons policy without taboos as highly dangerous and provocative.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference on Tuesday that Koizumi's remarks, which are extremely rare in Japan's post-war history, expose his government's ambitions to dispense with the three non-nuclear principles -- not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons -- and to challenge the post-war international order.

Lin added that while the Japanese defense minister repeatedly claimed on the international stage to adhere to "exclusive defense", "peaceful development" and the "three non-nuclear principles", he was contradicting himself by openly clamoring at home for unrestricted discussions on nuclear weapons.

Such self-contradiction once again lays bare the lies Tokyo tells the international community, Lin added.

The spokesman cautioned that the international community must remain vigilant and resolutely push back against Japan's neo-militarism.