PM Kishida rules out Japan's possession of nuclear weapons

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ruled out the possibility of Japan possessing nuclear weapons as part of the "capacity to strike enemy bases" that his government is seeking to acquire.

At a House of Councillors Budget Committee session on Feb. 24, Kishida said, "The three non-nuclear principles (of not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons) are our national policy. There are no options of using or possessing nuclear arms."

The government is set to make a decision over whether the country will possess the ability to attack enemy bases in line with revisions to the National Security Strategy planned later this year.

Kishida explained, "The question is what Japan is expected to do amid missile technology advancement. We'd like to engage in pragmatic, sober discussions, while keeping all options open."

Shinkun Haku, a lawmaker of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, questioned Kishida, "Does 'all options' include nuclear weapons?" In response, the prime minister denied Japan going nuclear.

During the budget panel meeting, where deliberations on the fiscal 2022 initial budget bill effectively got underway, Shigeru Omi, chairman of the government's COVID-19 countermeasures subcommittee, discussed the current infection status of the virus's omicron variant in Japan.

"It's obvious that (the variant's spread) is a heavy load on emergency care units and general medical care," Omi said.

To curb infections among the elderly population -- who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 -- Omi urged that vaccinations be sped up at care homes for older people.

Prime Minister Kishida said, "We'd like to prepare necessary medical care by responding to the changing realities aptly."

(Japanese original by Hiroyuki Tanaka, Political News Department)