BEIJING, October 28. /TASS/. The nuclear ambitions of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s current cabinet could put the future of more than 100 million Japanese citizens at risk, despite widespread public opposition to nuclear weapons, Secretary General of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) Dai Huaicheng told TASS.

He noted that statements by some Japanese politicians calling for the country to acquire nuclear weapons ran counter to Tokyo’s commitments to peace, as well as the views of the Japanese public.

"Opinion polls conducted by Japanese media show that 60% of the population opposes the development of nuclear weapons, while 80% demand respect for the three non-nuclear principles. This clearly demonstrates the anti-nuclear stance of the majority of Japanese society. Open attempts by Japanese ruling circles to promote the ‘nuclear option’ are putting the future of more than 100 million Japanese people at risk," Dai stressed.

"No one should forget history or go against the will of the people. If Japan’s ruling circles persist in their nuclear delusions and continue to compound their mistakes, this will not only pose a major challenge to the post-war world order and the international system of nuclear non-proliferation, but also run counter to Japan’s peace commitments and the general opinion of the Japanese people, ultimately exacting an extremely high price," he added.

"The international community must call on Japan to deeply reflect on the history of [its] aggression [during World War II], completely break with militarism, finally abandon ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons, and faithfully fulfill its international non-proliferation commitments," the expert concluded.

Non-nuclear principles

Japan maintains three non-nuclear principles: not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into its territory. Although the principles aren’t enshrined in laws, all Japanese prime ministers have so far reaffirmed commitment to them. Discussions of the issue have long been considered taboo, prompting some politicians to refer to the "fourth principle" of not discussing nuclear weapons and call for abandoning at least this unwritten rule.

After Sanae Takaichi took office as prime minister, the Japanese media reported that the approach to the three non-nuclear principles would be discussed as part of a planned review of the country’s national security strategy. Media outlets claimed that Takaichi was prepared to call for lifting at least the ban on bringing US nuclear weapons to Japan. However, the prime minister said she had not instructed officials to review the non-nuclear principles as part of discussions of a new version of the national security strategy.