Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 19, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleJapan reaffirms its no-nuclear weapons policy amid security concerns, despite suggestions from officials to reconsider due to regional threats.
By Tim Kelly and John Geddie
TOKYO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Japan reaffirmed its decades-old pledge never to possess nuclear weapons on Friday after local media reported that a senior security official suggested the country should acquire them to deter potential aggressors.
The unnamed official said Japan needed nuclear weapons because of a worsening security environment but acknowledged that such a move would be politically difficult, public broadcaster NHK and other outlets reported, describing the official as being from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's office.
At a regular press briefing in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan's nuclear policy had not changed, but declined to comment on the remarks or to say whether the person would remain in the post amid calls from opposition leaders for the official to be removed.
There is a growing political and public willingness in Japan to loosen its three non-nuclear principles not to possess, develop or allow nuclear weapons into its territory, a Reuters investigation published in August found.
While it remains a highly sensitive subject in the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, doubts over the reliability of U.S. security guarantees under President Donald Trump and growing threats from nuclear-armed neighbours China, Russia and North Korea have re-ignited the debate.
Some lawmakers within Takaichi's ruling party have said the United States should be allowed to bring nuclear weapons into Japan on submarines or other platforms to reinforce deterrence.
Takaichi last month stirred debate on her own stance by declining to say whether there would be any changes to the three principles when her administration formulates a new defence strategy next year.
"Putting these trial balloons out creates an opportunity to start to build consensus around the direction to move on changes in security policy," said Stephen Nagy, a politics professor at the International Christian University in Tokyo.
Beijing's assertiveness and growing missile cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang are "creating the momentum to really change Japan's thinking about security," he added.
Taro Kono, a senior ruling party lawmaker and former defence and foreign minister, said on Friday that Japan should not shy away from a broader debate on the pros and cons of acquiring nuclear weapons.
Discussions about acquiring or hosting nuclear weapons have long been taboo due to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War Two and the country's pacifist constitution adopted after its defeat.
Such discussions also risk drawing ire from neighbouring countries like China.
Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have soured since Takaichi last month said a Chinese attack on Taiwan that also threatened Japan could trigger a military response. China claims the democratically-governed island.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly, John Geddie and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Kate Mayberry and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Nuclear policy refers to a country's stance and regulations regarding the possession, development, and use of nuclear weapons. It often reflects national security concerns and international relations.
A deterrent is a strategy or measure aimed at discouraging an adversary from taking an undesirable action, often through the threat of significant consequences.
Nuclear weapons are explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions. They can cause massive destruction and loss of life, making their use a significant concern in global security.
A pacifist constitution is a legal framework that emphasizes peace and non-violence, often prohibiting the use of military force or the possession of weapons, including nuclear arms.
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