TOKYO, Dec 28 (NNN-NHK) – Former Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, has again criticised recent remarks by a senior government official, suggesting that Japan should possess nuclear weapons.
Speaking on a programme aired Friday night, by Japan’s BS11 TV, Ishiba said, as the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, Japan should take a clear stance on preventing nuclear proliferation, and should not make statements that undermine that position.
On Dec 18, an anonymous senior official, in charge of security, at the Prime Minister’s Office, told reporters that, Japan should possess nuclear weapons. After the remarks were made public, they sparked widespread criticism and controversy within Japan.
Addressing the issue earlier, Ishiba said that, if Japan were to acquire nuclear weapons, it would be forced to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency. He stressed that, such a move would render Japan’s nuclear energy policy – which underpins the country’s energy system – untenable, adding that, “this would by no means be beneficial for Japan.”
According to a report on the online Japanese magazine, Shukan Bunshun, on Dec 24, the official who made the remarks was Oue Sadamasa, a special adviser to Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, whose portfolio includes nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.– NNN-NHK