September 30th, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun presided over a regular press conference.
A journalist asked that, according to reports, on the 28th, Japan's Defense Minister Shinzo Abe stated that when revising the "three security documents," discussions regarding the possession of nuclear weapons and nuclear submarines should not be excluded. He said that discussions should be conducted "without taboos or predetermined conclusions." He added that "if even discussions are not allowed, it deviates from my sense of crisis." What is China's comment on this?
Guo Jiaqun said that, first of all, having nuclear weapons is not a matter that Japan chooses to discuss. Japan is a non-nuclear state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. It has no obligation under international law to accept, produce, possess, or proliferate nuclear weapons. There is no room for negotiation in this regard.
Guo Jiaqun said that Naomi Kudoh reiterated the ‘Three Principles of Nuclear Neutrality’ in February this year. The Japanese representative attending the Review Conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in May confirmed several times that Japan would not change these ‘Three Principles of Nuclear Neutrality’. These words are still ringing in our ears. The current head of Japan’s defense department made a bold statement suggesting that there should be no taboo in discussing nuclear weapons and nuclear submarines. This is a serious provocation and blatant violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the post-World War II international order. It seriously deviates from Japan’s claims to adhere to the ‘Three Principles of Nuclear Neutrality’, and once again exposes the attempts of Japanese right-wing forces to possess nuclear weapons.
Guo Jiaqun pointed out that in recent years, Japan has been accelerating the process of ‘re-militarization’, attempting to abandon the ‘Three Non-Nuclear Principles’, strengthening so-called ‘extended deterrence’ arrangements, and seeking to deploy nuclear weapons in Japan. It aims to achieve a gradual de-nuclearization, continuously challenging the boundaries of international society.
Guo Jiaqun emphasized that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trial, and history has not forgotten, nor will it forget, the profound disasters brought by Japanese militarism to the Asian people and even the world. Japanese right-wing forces continue to challenge the international order and the international nuclear non-proliferation regime after World War II. They are moving further down the wrong path. The international community should urge Japan to adhere to the three principles of no nuclear weapons, strictly fulfill its obligations under the Treaty on Nuclear Non-Proliferation, completely abandon any attempts at 're-militarization' and nuclear proliferation ambitions, and effectively address the serious concerns of the international community.
According to a report by the Japanese Kyodo News, Japanese Defense Minister Shinzo Abe stated again on the 28th that discussions regarding nuclear weapons and the possession of nuclear-powered submarines should not be ruled out.
In a program on BS Fuji TV, Koizumi said, "Discussion should be conducted without taboos or preset conclusions, and even that isn’t allowed. This somewhat deviates from my sense of crisis."
Koizumi also unjustly implicated China, Russia, and North Korea, and claimed that "by adopting the attitude of not discussing things that one doesn't want to discuss, can Japan really defend peace? The world is shifting towards this stage."
This is not the first time that Koizumi has made similar statements.
On the 11th of this month, Koizumi stated at a press conference that regarding whether Japan should have nuclear-powered submarines, “no option is excluded” in the discussions and studies related to the revision of the “Security Three Documents”. In July of this year, Koizumi said that Japan should discuss policies related to nuclear weapons without any restrictions. He also questioned, “Isn’t it often the case that we put maintaining existing frameworks first, leaving the true defense of Japan behind?”
