Japanese Media: US Navy Official Expresses Favorable View on Japan Acquiring Nuclear-Powered Submarines

A US Navy official has expressed a favorable view regarding claims by Japan's conservative camp that Japan should consider acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, Kyodo News reported today (September 10).

The official made the remarks the previous day while speaking with Kyodo News and other outlets at a US military facility in Hawaii, US.

Pointing out that Japan has nuclear power plants and possesses the underlying technology, the official noted that the energy sources used by nuclear power plants and nuclear-powered submarines are "the same, being nuclear energy."

Regarding the criticism that the US military is failing to deploy sufficient forces to the Indo-Pacific region due to a shortage of ships, the official expressed hope that they could cooperate with Japan to improve the maintenance and construction capabilities of US military vessels, the news agency reported.

In June, the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party, which forms a coalition government with Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), argued through a government proposal regarding the three major security documents that the Japanese government plans to revise within the year with a focus on strengthening defense capabilities, that Japan should also introduce nuclear-powered submarines.

The Japan Innovation Party added that acquiring nuclear-powered submarines is essential to possess submarines capable of carrying long-range missiles and traveling long distances for extended periods.

In its proposal, emphasizing extended deterrence through the US "nuclear umbrella," the Japan Innovation Party also argued that the "no-introduction" principle among Japan's adhered Three Non-Nuclear Principles should be reexamined.

However, the LDP used indirect language in its proposal for the three security documents, stating that a review of "next-generation propulsion" is necessary, without directly mentioning whether to introduce nuclear-powered submarines.

Japan maintains the Three Non-Nuclear Principles of "not possessing, not manufacturing, and not introducing nuclear weapons."

Meanwhile, Kyodo News reported that regarding South Korea's push to build nuclear-powered submarines, the US Navy official cited remarks by another senior US Navy official who stated, "If there is no intention to leave South Korean coastal waters, nuclear submarines are not needed."

The official also mentioned that acquiring nuclear submarines as a "status symbol" is wrong.

The news agency interpreted this as showing the official's view that the purpose of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines must be premised on the characteristics of submarines capable of long-distance navigation.

(Photo: AP/Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.