MANILA /The Philippines/, July 22. /TASS/. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement that Tokyo may review its three non-nuclear principles should be taken as a "serious signal," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"I have heard what Prime Minister Takaichi said when she stated that it was time to review the three principles enshrined in the Japanese constitution, under which the country neither produces, possesses nor hosts nuclear weapons. It is certainly a serious signal," the top Russian diplomat noted after ASEAN events in the Philippines.
According to Lavrov, the signal "echoes the processes underway in Japan's neighboring countries, South Korea and the United States, who hold regular and increasingly intensive military drills, gradually incorporating a nuclear component."
"The Japanese are considering joining these exercises, so the situation is indeed grave," the Russian foreign minister added.
Earlier reports said that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government planned to revise Japan’s key fundamental security documents, including by examining the three non-nuclear principles. The principles, which were approved by a government decision and do not have the force of law, can be revised relatively easily. Meanwhile, Japanese governments have reaffirmed their commitment to them.