Senior Japanese official calls for allowing nuclear weapons into Japan in emergencies

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TOKYO - A senior Japanese government official said Tuesday that nuclear weapons should be allowed to be brought into Japan in emergencies, in remarks on revising the country's…

TOKYO - A senior Japanese government official said Tuesday that nuclear weapons should be allowed to be brought into Japan in emergencies, in remarks on revising the country's three key security documents, Kyodo News reported.

The official told reporters that it is necessary to explicitly include the view that, as an exception to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, nuclear weapons should be allowed into Japan in emergencies. The specific wording will be discussed within the ruling bloc, the official said.

Japanese media reported on Nov 5 that, in updating the three security documents, the Japanese government is inclined not to directly revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles of "not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons" for now. Instead, it is leaning toward explicitly stating an exception that would allow nuclear weapons to be brought into the country in emergencies.

The idea of an exception to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles reflects a position outlined in March 2010 by then Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, who said during a parliamentary committee session that if a situation arose in which Japan's security could not be ensured without allowing a temporary port call by a US vessel carrying nuclear weapons, the government of the day would have to make a decision at the risk of its political future and explain the decision to the public.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, on Tuesday launched working-level talks on revising the country's three key security documents.

The main issues in the talks are expected to include the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, whether Japan should acquire nuclear-powered submarines, and a new defense spending target.

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