Overview
- Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima called on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to investigate and dismiss the senior official reported to have said Japan should possess nuclear weapons, saying the prime minister’s response is not visible.
- Fukushima also criticized voices within the Liberal Democratic Party advocating a review of the Three Non‑Nuclear Principles, calling such moves an insult to hibakusha.
- The government is set to finalize the 2026 draft budget on December 26, with the general account totaling about ¥122.31 trillion, the largest on record, according to NHK.
- In Hokkaido’s Otofuke, a residential fire around 12:50 a.m. on December 25 largely destroyed a house, and a man’s body was found in the remains, local reports said.
- In Gaza City, Catholics held Christmas celebrations on December 24–25 during the territory’s quietest holiday since fighting began in 2023, following an October ceasefire.