China Warns Japan Against Abandoning Non-Nuclear Principles

China has condemned recent remarks by Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi regarding the potential for open debate on nuclear weapons policy, describing them as ‘extremely rare, provocative, and dangerous’ for a post-World War II Japanese defence chief. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her administration are accelerating efforts to remilitarise Japan and are no longer concealing their ambitions to revise the country’s three non-nuclear principles, thereby challenging the post-war international order.

Koizumi had argued that Japan ‘cannot avoid’ discussing nuclear deterrence, pointing to European nations such as France and Finland that have recently strengthened their nuclear postures. Lin Jian countered that Japan has long maintained a deliberate capacity for rapid nuclear breakout, stockpiling approximately 44.4 metric tons of separated plutonium, enough to produce a significant number of warheads. He urged the international community to remain highly vigilant and resolutely oppose what he termed a ‘dangerous path’ being pursued by right-wing elements in Japan.

Japan, the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings, has traditionally upheld the three non-nuclear principles of not producing, possessing, or permitting nuclear weapons on its territory. However, recent statements from officials, including former Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, have called for a reassessment of these principles amid a perceived increasingly complex security environment.