Japan on Friday reiterated its commitment to non-nuclear principles after a senior government official reportedly suggested Tokyo needs nuclear weapons.
The Japanese government's policy is to "maintain the so-called three non-nuclear principles, which prohibit possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear arms," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference, according to Kyodo News.
The statement came after a source from the prime minister's office told journalists during an unofficial exchange that Japan "needs to possess nuclear weapons."
"In the end, we can only rely on ourselves," the official reportedly said. "It isn't something that can be done quickly, like just going to a convenience store to buy something."
The remarks prompted criticism from both ruling and opposition parties, which called for the official's removal.
As the only country to have suffered atomic bombing during war, Tokyo will continue pursuing "realistic and practical measures to achieve a world without nuclear weapons" under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Kihara said.
"Since the end of the war, our country has consistently contributed to the peace and prosperity of the international community," he added. "There is no change in this stance."
Local media reports that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may be considering a review of Japan's non-nuclear principles. If they are changed, it would represent a significant shift in the country's security policy since they were declared in 1967.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reacted to the reports, dubbing them "quite serious" and saying Beijing "is paying close attention."
"And if the information is true, the situation would be quite serious, exposing the dangerous plot of some people in Japan to violate international law and acquire nuclear weapons," Guo said, according to Beijing-based daily Global Times.
"China and the international community must be highly vigilant and deeply concerned," he added.
Japan's pacifist constitution, adopted after World War II, established an exclusively defense-oriented security policy.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing an estimated 140,000 people. A second bomb hit Nagasaki on Aug. 9, killing another 70,000.
