China's Foreign Ministry has fired a warning shot after a senior Japanese official suggested Tokyo should reconsider its nearly eight-decade ban on nuclear weapons in light of the worsening regional security environment.
China has responded with a sustained public relations campaign portraying Japan as a revanchist power—citing the country's recent increases in defense spending and plans to deploy missiles on a remote island near Beijing-claimed Taiwan. Tokyo's Defense Ministry this year described China’s military buildup and expansive moves in the region as Japan's greatest security challenge.
A senior Cabinet official advising Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on national security told reporters on Thursday that it was time to begin discussions on acquiring a nuclear deterrent, citing China's rapid nuclear buildup, North Korea’s advancing missile and weapons programs, and the strategic threat from a nuclear-armed Russia, according to The Asahi Shimbun.
Washington has reiterated that Japan, like key non-NATO U.S. allies South Korea and Australia, remain protected under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
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Why It Matters
The remark comes amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over Takaichi's November 7 remarks that a military blockade around China-claimed Taiwan would constitute a "survival threatening situation" for Japan, a rare exception under that country's pacifist constitution that could allow for a military intervention alongside allied U.S. forces.China has responded with a sustained public relations campaign portraying Japan as a revanchist power—citing the country's recent increases in defense spending and plans to deploy missiles on a remote island near Beijing-claimed Taiwan. Tokyo's Defense Ministry this year described China’s military buildup and expansive moves in the region as Japan's greatest security challenge.
A senior Cabinet official advising Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on national security told reporters on Thursday that it was time to begin discussions on acquiring a nuclear deterrent, citing China's rapid nuclear buildup, North Korea’s advancing missile and weapons programs, and the strategic threat from a nuclear-armed Russia, according to The Asahi Shimbun.
Washington has reiterated that Japan, like key non-NATO U.S. allies South Korea and Australia, remain protected under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
China issues nuclear warning to Japan
A senior Japanese Cabinet official suggested Japan should ditch its 8-decade ban on nuclear weapons.
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