MOSCOW: Russia has a negative attitude to discussions about the possibility of Japan having access to nuclear weapons, because Tokyo’s mili...
MOSCOW: Russia has a negative attitude to discussions about the possibility of Japan having access to nuclear weapons, because Tokyo’s militarization will only aggravate the situation in Northeast Asia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has told TASS.
"We are aware that discussions are now under way in Japan on amending the provisions of its constitution regarding the non-nuclear status," he said. "Our attitude is absolutely negative."
"We believe that the militarization of Japan will only make the situation in Northeast Asia worse and, of course, will entail due countermeasures from countries who see this militarization as a threat," the senior Russian diplomat added.
Japan sticks to the three non-nuclear principles - 'not possessing, not producing, not importing' nuclear arms. Although these principles are informal and not included in any official document, they have been upheld by every Japanese prime minister to date and long regarded as politically untouchable. Even discussions on the subject were tabooed, prompting speculations about the 'fourth principle - not discussing,' which some politicians have already urged to ditch.
After Sanae Takaichi was sworn in as the premier, the Japanese media reported that the country’s upcoming national security posture review will include discussions on the three principles. Takaichi has so far stopped short of confirming her commitment to these principles, but, according to press reports, she is prepared to support lifting at least the ban on importing US nuclear weapons. At the same time, Takaichi denied giving instructions to review the non-nuclear status in the context of discussions on Japan’s updated national security strategy.
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