Japan’s Koizumi Says Nuclear Weapons Policy Should Be Openly Debated

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Japan Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi publicly called for an unrestricted debate on policies related to nuclear weapons, including whether to revise Japan’s long-standing postwar “Three Non-Nuclear Principles” of not possessing, producing or introducing nuclear arms. The remarks have renewed attention on whether Tokyo is considering changes to its security policy.

Koizumi said on the right-wing commentator Yoshiko Sakurai’s online program on Friday, July 17, that Japan should discuss nuclear-related policy without constraints, citing France and Finland as examples. He said Russia’s war in Ukraine had prompted European countries to overhaul their security strategies, and noted that French President Emmanuel Macron had said France must significantly strengthen its nuclear deterrent under the current security environment, while Finland had changed its stance to allow nuclear weapons to be deployed on its territory.

He also criticized opponents of revising the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, saying they were too focused on neighboring countries’ reactions and were putting Japan’s own security second. Nikkei reported that the Japanese government is seeking to strengthen extended U.S. nuclear deterrence through revisions to three security-related documents due to take effect by year-end. Nikkei also cited U.S. Defense Department data saying China has about 600 nuclear warheads that can be delivered by missiles and is projected to expand that arsenal to 1,000 by 2030.