Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons: PM office source

TOKYO — A source within Japan's prime minister's office said Thursday that the country needs nuclear weapons, remarks that deviate from the country's long-standing non-nuclear principles and could trigger backlash at home and abroad.

"I think we should possess nuclear weapons," said the source, who is involved in devising security policy under the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, while also indicating that such a move is unrealistic.

The remarks came as Takaichi, known for her hawkish security views, is considering reviewing Japan's non-nuclear principles, long upheld given the country's status as the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings.

During the exchanges with reporters, the source was asked about the idea of possessing nuclear arms.

Acknowledging the necessity of the destructive weapons, the source said, "In the end, we can only rely on ourselves."

The individual, however, also said, "It isn't something that can be done quickly, like just going to a convenience store to buy something."

Government sources earlier said that Takaichi, who also heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is considering reviewing the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which prohibit possessing, producing, or permitting the introduction of nuclear arms.

The Three Non-Nuclear Principles were first declared in the Diet by then Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1967 and became viewed as a national credo. Sato won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974 for the declaration and his contributions to peace.

Seeking to alter its basic nuclear policy remains controversial in Japan, with many in the public cherishing the pacifist postwar Constitution. It also runs counter to the government's efforts to pursue a world without nuclear weapons, an ardent wish of aging atomic bomb survivors in Japan.

At the same time, however, Japan has relied on U.S. nuclear deterrence for protection, which some critics say already contradicts the non-nuclear principles.

The prime minister's office source denied having a discussion with Takaichi about reviewing the non-nuclear principles.

In 1999, then Parliamentary Vice Defense Minister Shingo Nishimura, a member of the now-defunct Liberal Party, was sacked after coming under fire for suggesting that Japan consider arming itself with nuclear weapons.

© KYODO