Japanese civil body urges government to uphold non-nuclear principles

A Japanese civil body has submitted a petition to the country's Foreign Ministry, calling on the government to clearly reaffirm its commitment to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles as a national policy, local media reported.

The petition, addressed to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, was submitted on Tuesday by Japan NGO Network for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, a consultative body consisting of civic groups and atomic bomb survivors, Kyodo News reported.

Masako Wada, coordinator of the organization, said she hopes Takaichi will explicitly state that the Three Non-Nuclear Principles are a national policy and adhere to them. Another member, Kazuko Ito, expressed deep concern over what she described as a growing atmosphere within the Japanese government that tolerates rhetoric advocating nuclear armament.

The petition strongly protested statements suggesting that Japan should possess nuclear weapons, saying such shocking and outrageous remarks violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and Japan's Atomic Energy Basic Law, the report said.

The petition comes after an official within the prime minister's office responsible for security policy told media that Japan should possess nuclear weapons, sparking widespread criticism.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday that China is shocked that a senior official from the Japanese Prime Minister's Office brazenly claimed that Japan should have nuclear weapons.

Lin said the statements amount to a blatant challenge to the postwar international order and the nuclear non-proliferation regime, a serious threat to regional and international peace and stability, and a U-turn from Japan's commitment to "peaceful development."

Lin added that it is not convincing at all to say the idea is a "personal view" and warned that the international community should be on high alert and firmly against such remarks.