Japan mulls easing nuclear ban amid security tensions

The discussion, still in its exploratory phase, reflects Japan’s growing unease over an increasingly complex regional security environment dominated by nuclear-armed neighbors China, North Korea, and Russia.

Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles (not possessing, producing, or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons) have long functioned as a national credo. First articulated in 1967 by then-Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, who later received the Nobel Peace Prize for the declaration, the policy became a defining feature of Japan’s postwar identity as the world’s only nation to have suffered atomic bombings.

While Takaichi has no intention of revising the first two principles, government sources say she is increasingly concerned about the practicality of the third: the prohibition on allowing nuclear weapons into Japan. Officials argue this restriction could complicate port calls by U.S. nuclear-armed vessels.

The review discussion comes as Takaichi’s administration prepares to update Japan’s National Security Strategy and its defense buildup program for the first time since 2022.

The LDP is expected to begin internal deliberations soon, aiming to produce a formal proposal by next spring. Those discussions will inform the government’s update of security documents by the end of next year.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had come under criticism after convening a meeting with her aides at 3 a.m.