By The South Asia Times

TOKYO - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has called for a national debate on nuclear weapons as Tokyo prepares to revise its key national security strategy, saying Japan can no longer avoid discussing the issue amid a rapidly changing security environment.

Speaking in an online program, Koizumi said Japan "cannot avoid touching" the subject of nuclear weapons as the government reviews three major security documents due to be updated by the end of the year.

Koizumi pointed to growing discussions on nuclear deterrence in Europe, citing Finland, whose parliament approved legislation in June allowing nuclear weapons to be brought onto its territory, and France, where President Emmanuel Macron announced plans in March to expand the country's nuclear arsenal.

While emphasizing that Japan remains protected under the US nuclear umbrella, Koizumi argued that the country's deteriorating security environment requires broader discussion of defense policy.

"We need to change a situation in which some topics are considered untouchable," he said.

Japan remains the world's only country to have suffered atomic bomb attacks, and its postwar security policy is anchored in the Three Non-Nuclear Principles — not possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons onto Japanese territory.

Security debate gains momentum

Koizumi's remarks come as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government prepares to revise Japan's National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program.

The comments follow a broader debate within Japan's ruling establishment over whether the country's longstanding non-nuclear policy should be reassessed in light of regional security challenges.

Last December, a government official involved in drafting security policy suggested Japan should possess nuclear weapons, prompting criticism from opposition parties and neighboring countries. Former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has also argued that Japan should openly debate the future of its non-nuclear principles.

Despite such discussions, the Japanese government has not announced any policy change regarding the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

China criticizes remarks

China sharply criticized Koizumi's comments, with the state-run Global Times describing them as another step toward weakening Japan's postwar nuclear restrictions.

The newspaper quoted Lü Chao, an analyst at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, as saying Tokyo was gradually "chipping away" at the Three Non-Nuclear Principles under the banner of strengthening national defense.

According to the report, Lü warned that easing restrictions on nuclear weapons could encourage nationalist and militarist sentiment in Japan, posing security risks for neighboring countries and the wider region.

The analyst also argued that Japan has not fully reckoned with its wartime history and urged the international community to oppose any move toward a nuclear-armed Japan.

The Global Times further linked the debate to Japan's broader military modernization, while noting that Japanese media reported the government is also considering ways to strengthen the extended nuclear deterrence provided by the United States as part of its upcoming security strategy review.

Japan has significantly expanded defense spending and military cooperation with the United States and other partners in recent years, citing growing security concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, China's military activities in the East and South China seas, and Russia's actions in the region.

China has accused Japan of using regional tensions to justify military expansion, while Japanese officials argue that the country's evolving security strategy is purely defensive and necessary to address an increasingly complex regional threat environment.

Although debate over nuclear deterrence has become more prominent among some Japanese policymakers, any shift away from Japan's long-standing non-nuclear principles would likely face substantial political opposition domestically, where public support for maintaining the country's anti-nuclear stance remains strong