The official has reportedly informed the media that the US security umbrella might not be a dependable cornerstone of national security moving forward.
A senior advisor to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reportedly suggested to journalists that Japan should consider developing its own nuclear weapons.
According to media reports, the unnamed official, who provides national security advice to the prime minister, stated that Japan’s long-standing reliance on the US nuclear deterrent may no longer be entirely dependable. The advisor indicated that under these circumstances, a departure from the nation’s postwar non-nuclear policy might become necessary, as reported by NHK.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the official acknowledged that such a move would carry a significant political cost domestically and noted that there is no indication Prime Minister Takaichi is currently considering a policy change.
Japan holds the distinction of being the only country to have experienced a nuclear attack. The United States deployed atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the concluding months of World War II, coinciding with the Soviet Union’s entry into the war against Imperial Japan.
Following the war, Japan became a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which recognizes only five nuclear-armed states: China, France, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, in 1967, Tokyo adopted unilateral principles, committing to not possess, manufacture, or permit the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory.
The advisor reportedly proposed that Japan might need to re-evaluate its commitments to establish an independent deterrent in response to perceived threats from China, Russia, and North Korea.