Former Japanese PM Ishiba says nuclear weapons would never benefit Japan

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Saturday that possessing nuclear weapons would "never be beneficial for Japan," responding to a senior Japanese official's controversial remarks that Japan should possess them.

"If Japan possesses nuclear weapons, we will have to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency," Ishiba said on a live TV program, noting that "Japan's nuclear policy, which supports its energy needs, will become unviable."

"It will never be beneficial for Japan," Ishiba added.

Kyodo News reported on Thursday that a senior official involved in devising security policy under the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told media that Japan should possess nuclear weapons, a statement that immediately drew strong criticism at home.