Alarm raised over Japan's nuclear plans

Japan's recent rhetoric and actions on nuclear issues have raised concerns about its growing military ambitions and the resurgence of militaristic tendencies, which could undermine regional stability and have profound implications for Asia and the wider international community, experts said.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on an online program last Friday that Japan should discuss policies related to nuclear weapons "without any taboos", triggering strong concern within Japan and from the international community.

In response to the opposition party's questioning on the three nonnuclear principles and nuclear submarines at the Diet, Japan's parliament, Koizumi said, "The idea of protecting what we have had until now seems to take precedence over truly protecting Japan."

It is extremely rare, provocative and dangerous after World War II for a sitting Japanese defense chief to make such remarks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Japan is an internationally recognized nuclear threshold state. It has long been deliberately maintaining the capability for a rapid nuclear breakout, stockpiling approximately 44.4 metric tons of separated plutonium, enough to produce a large number of nuclear warheads, he said.

Lin said that Japanese right-wing forces, citing so-called external threats and self-defense, have been breaking free from Japan's Constitution, international law and domestic law, and challenging the postwar international order and the international nuclear nonproliferation regime.

"Japan's neomilitarism has already reared its head. The international community must be highly vigilant and firmly oppose it," Lin said.

Liu Shuliang, an associate research fellow at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, said the recent remarks and actions of Japanese politicians once again underscore a fundamental shift in Japan's national security policy.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi advocated revising the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" in parliament. Since taking office, she has accelerated Japan's military buildup and pursued a series of controversial nuclear-related initiatives, including closer cooperation on so-called extended deterrence, the promotion of nuclear-powered submarine development, the exploration of "nuclear sharing" arrangements, and the deployment of medium-range missile systems.

Koizumi's remarks, which deliberately crossed the red line on nuclear issues, run counter to the obligations of states' parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and openly challenge the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and the post-World War II international order. Such remarks are highly provocative and dangerous, he said.

"The Japanese government's recent stance indicates that it is abandoning its long-held commitment to the 'exclusively defensive' policy and the 'Three Non-Nuclear Principles', accelerating its transition toward a more combat-capable, offensive posture," Liu said.

"As the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, Japan appears to be leveraging its identity as a nuclear victim to gain political support for strengthening its nuclear deterrence capabilities," said Chen Hong, director of East China Normal University's Asia Pacific Studies Center in Shanghai.

Substantial stockpile

Japan possesses substantial stockpiles of nuclear materials and advanced nuclear technology. Its open discussion of the possibility of developing nuclear weapons sends a signal that it is lowering the political and strategic threshold for pursuing nuclear weapons capability, he said.

He said Japan is actively developing long-range missiles, enhancing its missile defense capabilities and advancing discussions on issues such as nuclear-powered submarines. Together, these moves point to its pursuit of offensive strike capabilities, exceeding the bounds of its long-held "exclusively defensive" policy and rendering that principle increasingly hollow.

Koizumi's remarks have thrust Japan's long-concealed nuclear ambitions into the international spotlight, further heightening concerns over the country's nuclear intentions and potential nuclear capabilities, experts said.

Chen from Shanghai noted that Japan's intentions and capabilities in the nuclear domain are becoming increasingly aligned, while it continues to explore the possibility of "nuclear-sharing" arrangements.

"Such developments are likely to prompt other countries in Northeast Asia to reassess their security policies and could further intensify a regional nuclear arms race," he said.

From the perspective of the global arms control system, Japan, as a state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has breached its obligations under the treaty, Liu said.

"By doing so, it risks opening the Pandora's box of nuclear proliferation, setting a dangerous precedent for nonnuclear states seeking nuclear weapons and undermining the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and the global arms control system," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

liujianqiao@chinadaily.com.cn