Japan PM’s Office pressed JIP to go further in calling for review of non-nuclear principles

Tokyo, Aug 19 (IANS) Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office has asked the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) to “go a step further” in reconsidering the country’s long-standing non-nuclear principles, local media reported.

Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles refer to “not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into the country.” In June this year, the JIP, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), submitted a proposal to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on revising the country’s three key security documents. The proposal called for making a “realistic review” of the principle of not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan, Xinhua news agency reported.

A report by Mainichi Shimbun cited a source within the JIP as saying, “The LDP is constrained by all sorts of baggage, and there are things it just can’t bring itself to say. The Prime Minister’s Office has told us, ‘We want you to go a step further.'”

On reconsidering the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, the JIP proposal also stated: “To enhance the effectiveness of the US extended nuclear deterrence, Japan should consult with the United States and take necessary measures,” the report said.

It was also revealed that before the proposal was submitted, several senior JIP officials, including co-representative Fumitake Fujita, held secret discussions on its wording with former senior defense ministry official Kazuhisa Shimada and Kiyofumi Iwata, former chief of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The proposal adopted Shimada’s views almost verbatim.

Mainichi Shimbun reported that one factor behind the calls to reconsider the Three Non-Nuclear Principles is the United States’ ongoing development of a nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile. The missile is estimated to have a range of 2,000 to 2,500 km and is expected to be deployed after 2032. Submarines carrying the missile could operate in waters around Japan and make port calls at the US naval base in Yokosuka.

Even before becoming prime minister, Takaichi had already signaled her willingness to revise the principle of not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan.

Mainichi Shimbun quoted a senior JIP official as saying that, while compiling the proposal, the party had “maintained close communication with people close to the prime minister.” They included Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara and Sadamasa Oue, a special advisor to the prime minister on security policy.

–IANS

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