LDP Security Chair Calls for Debate on Japan’s Non‑Nuclear Principles

Overview

• Itsunori Onodera, chair of the LDP’s Research Commission on Security and a former defense minister, said on an NHK program that avoiding nuclear issues is politically irresponsible.
• Onodera linked the call for discussion to Japan’s reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella and questioned how the country should proceed.
• He indicated that whether to allow U.S. nuclear weapons into Japan in an emergency is among the issues that warrant consideration.
• Seiji Maehara, who leads the Japan Innovation Party’s security panel, echoed the need to fully review the three rules.
• The principles bar Japan from possessing, producing, or allowing nuclear weapons, and officials say they remain in place with no formal change announced.