Japan's Prime Minister Has Come Out In Favor Of Placing U.S. Nuclear Weapons In The Country

• 16.11.2025, 16:18

Sanae Takaichi plans to revise three principles of state policy from 1967.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to revise three principles of state policy from 1967, under which the country cannot possess nuclear weapons, nor can it produce or host them, writes Mainichi. The initiative comes amid updates to key national security documents. Specifically, Takaichi proposes scrapping the ban on the importation of nuclear weapons because it weakens U.S. deterrent capabilities. Washington cannot now place such munitions on its military bases in Japan or ships calling at its ports.

The topic will first be discussed within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which Takaichi leads, and with coalition partners. Consultations will begin next week. If the parties manage to reach a common position, it will be formalized as a recommendation to the government, after which the prime minister will make the final decision. On Nov. 11, during a speech in parliament, Takaichi avoided answering a question about whether Japan would continue to adhere to the three non-nuclear principles. She said it was not the time to say anything on the matter, and said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be a situation that "threatens the survival" of Japan and would allow the country to exercise the right of collective self-defense. That drew a sharp response from Beijing. Earlier, Takaichi said that if Japan's security depends on the US, the authorities should "carefully discuss" the current nuclear restrictions.

Japan's national security strategy was last updated on December 16, 2022. It refers to the country's right to launch counterstrikes against targets in the territory of a potential enemy. For this purpose, it is planned to increase the range of the Self-Defense Forces' Type-12 missiles, develop its own hypersonic weapons and purchase American Tomahawk cruise missiles. The document also envisions increasing military spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2027, but Takaichi has promised that this goal will be achieved ahead of schedule.

In August, a member of the Japanese parliament and a member of the national security policy council of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Rui Matsukawa, said that Japan could move toward nuclear weapons possession. The issue has been taboo since the country survived the atomic bombing at the end of World War II. But now Japan finds itself surrounded by three nuclear powers - Russia, China and North Korea. In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration's confrontational policy toward allies has sparked talk of the need to rely more on its own forces, Matsukawa noted.