On December 28, the People's Daily, Issue 03, published a "Zhongsheng" commentary article titled "International Forces of Justice Must Jointly Halt Japan's Nuclear Ambitions."
The article stated: Japanese politicians claiming that "Japan should possess nuclear weapons" and pushing for revisions to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" not only seriously deviate from their own peace commitments but also pose a serious threat to the regional security structure.
The specific content of the article is as follows:
Recently, nuclear-related statements by Japanese government officials have drawn high attention from the international community. First, a senior official at the Prime Minister's Office claimed that "Japan should possess nuclear weapons." Subsequently, the Chief Cabinet Secretary refused to clarify the statement, and the Defense Minister even made public remarks about whether to revise the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," stating "any option is not ruled out." These nuclear-related statements are a blatant provocation against the post-war international order and the nuclear non-proliferation system, once again exposing Japan's accelerated "militarization" and posing a threat to regional and international peace and stability.
What does nuclear mean to Japan? As the only country in the world that has suffered a nuclear attack, Japan has learned a painful lesson and should be more deeply aware of the destructive consequences of nuclear weapons. The "Three Non-Nuclear Principles"—"no possession, no production, no introduction of nuclear weapons"—were officially adopted as national policy by the Japanese Diet in 1971. For a long time, whether Japan can abide by the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" has been an important benchmark for the international community to examine whether Japan truly follows a path of peaceful development. However, some right-wing politicians have regarded the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" as a "thorn in the eye." On one hand, they are eager to spread the narrative of being a "nuclear victim," self-proclaiming themselves as a "peaceful country," and advocating for a world without nuclear weapons; on the other hand, they frequently test the limits of the international community and desperately want to overturn it. Since the establishment of the Kishida administration, the direction of nuclear ambitions has been unusually clear: implying possible abandonment of the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," media reports of plans to revise the principle of not introducing nuclear weapons, and now even a close aide to the prime minister openly declaring that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. The fallacies of Japanese officials clearly contradict their proclaimed peace ideals, once again revealing the hypocrisy of Japan's position on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.
The nuclear ambitions of Japanese officials expose their disregard for international legal obligations. According to internationally binding documents such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Instrument of Surrender, Japan should "completely disarm" and must not "maintain industries capable of rearming." As a non-nuclear-weapon state under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Japan must strictly abide by the provisions of not accepting, producing, possessing, or proliferating nuclear weapons. Any nuclear-related statements by Japanese officials are a challenge to the international nuclear non-proliferation system.
The nuclear-related statements by Japanese officials are not an isolated phenomenon. In recent years, Japan has taken a series of measures to adjust its security policies, including relaxing its own restrictions on collective self-defense rights, expanding the scope of activities for the Self-Defense Forces, developing long-range offensive weapons, increasing troop deployments, and restructuring command systems. After the Kishida administration came into power, it has loudly promoted the idea of "existential crisis," selling "security anxiety," using this to accelerate the expansion of military strength, achieving the goal of making defense spending account for 2% of GDP two years ahead of schedule, and stating that it is not ruling out the introduction of nuclear submarines. It has also been active in areas such as easing restrictions on arms exports, strengthening "extended deterrence," promoting the revision of the "Three Security Documents," and discussing the revision of the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." These moves, combined with recent nuclear-related statements, indicate that the right-wing forces in Japan, who are extremely dissatisfied with the post-war international arrangements, are eager to break free from the constraints of existing arrangements and take the old and wrong path of military expansion.
Japan has been identified by many experts as a "nuclear threshold country," having mastered the key technologies and materials needed to produce nuclear weapons, and has long produced and stored far more plutonium than necessary for civilian nuclear energy. For this reason, any relaxation of Japan's nuclear policy would cause serious shocks to the regional security structure and create serious dilemmas for Japan's own security. Recently, prominent figures within Japan have loudly called for adherence to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles": former Prime Minister Ishiba said that possessing nuclear weapons "is certainly not beneficial for Japan," former Prime Minister Hashimoto urged the quick replacement of officials who made the "Japan nuclear" statements, and the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly unanimously passed a resolution requiring the Japanese government to adhere to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles."
The international nuclear non-proliferation system is an important part of the post-war international order. Firmly upholding the nuclear non-proliferation system means safeguarding the hard-won results of the victory in World War II. China will stand with all countries that love peace to closely monitor Japan's dangerous developments on the nuclear issue and resolutely prevent the resurgence of Japanese militarism.
Source: People's Daily
Original: toutiao.com/article/7588720332292014602/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.