Japan must have renewed discussions about the country’s long-held three non-nuclear principles, a senior Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker said Sunday, as Tokyo continues to rely on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” — the latest signal that revisions could be on the horizon.
Former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told an NHK program that while the government was adhering to the principles as a policy guideline, “the question is what to do going forward.”
“Japan is under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, which, in essence, means that the United States has pledged to defend Japan, even if it means using nuclear weapons,” he said. “To simply ignore this nuclear discussion without any consideration is, in my view, politically irresponsible.