We Talk: Tokyo residents oppose revising Japan's non-nuclear policy

Since taking office in October 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government has pushed to revise Japan's three national security documents and has repeatedly called for a review of the "no introduction" clause of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. The moves have sparked concern in Japan and abroad over the future direction of the country's nuclear policy.

The approval rating for Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) plummeted four percentage points to 23% compared to June in a Mainichi Shimbun opinion poll conducted in July 18, hitting its lowest level since the Takaichi cabinet was formed in October 2025.

A CGTN stringer in Tokyo spoke with residents about the authorities' attempts to revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. IT engineer Makkun Mori said he was strongly against Japan revising its non-nuclear policy, noting that as Japan is the only country to have been hit with an atomic bomb, "even considering (changing) that, I think would also be wrong." Actress Eri Fujiwara expressed anxiety over the possibility of Japan allowing the United States to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil. "The very act of bringing nuclear weapons into Japanese territory must be stopped completely and utterly," she noted.