Tokyo should revise the principle of not permitting the entry of nuclear weapons into Japan, as a port call by a nuclear-armed ship would help deter China, former Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobukatsu Kanehara has said. The Japanese government should rewrite the principle to “not let an adversary attack (Japan with a nuclear weapon),” or abolish the principle altogether, he said. The other two of the three nonnuclear principles stipulate that Japan not possess or produce such weapons.
While Washington has pledged to protect Japan with its strategic nuclear weapons, these are too destructive for practical use, he said. Therefore, he called on the government to discuss with the United States whether the country would employ tactical nuclear weapons to defend Japan if China continues developing such arms and threatens to use them. Tactical nuclear weapons have lower explosive power and are easier to use in actual combat than strategic nuclear weapons.
The United States adopts a policy of neither confirming nor denying whether its nuclear weapons are present, but Tokyo continues to say that U.S. military vessels that visit Japan do not carry nuclear weapons. At present, it is not necessary for Japan to think about the possibility that U.S. nuclear weapons are brought into Japan, because the United States stopped deploying sea-launched tactical nuclear weapons after the Cold War, he stated. The United States, however, is believed to plan to deploy sea-launched cruise missiles with nuclear warheads probably in the second half of the 2030s, Kanehara said, adding that vessels with such weapons are expected to visit Japan.
In that case, the Japanese government would no longer be able to stick to its position on port calls by U.S. military vessels, he continued. It would have to say that it would accept U.S. vessels even if it is not clear whether they carry nuclear weapons, Kanehara emphasized. The government maintains the view presented in 2010 by then-Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in a parliamentary remark that in an emergency, the administration at the time would determine whether to accept vessels equipped with nuclear arms.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has stopped short of explicitly pledging to keep intact the principle of not allowing entry while saying that the government remains committed to the three nonnuclear principles. On this point, Kanehara said she needs to gain public support if she really wants to make a revision. The issue “should be debated openly at an expert panel,” and Takaichi should proceed with the review if majority support is gained, he added.
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