Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has signaled that the possibility of reviewing provisions such as the ban on the introduction of nuclear weapons remains open, stating that all tasks will be discussed regarding the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," which are drawing the most attention among the contents of the three major security documents currently being pushed for revision by the end of the year.
According to local media including the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on July 7, Prime Minister Takaichi said at the Settlement and Administrative Oversight Committee of the House of Councillors of the National Diet the previous day that she would "certainly bring all issues to the table for discussion" regarding the revision of the three major security documents.
She gave this response when asked by lawmaker Matsuzawa Shigefumi of the Japan Innovation Party about the necessity of discussing a review of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.
The Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which state that Japan will "not possess, not manufacture, and not permit the introduction of nuclear weapons," are considered one of Japan's national policies and a fundamental security principle.
Although Japan relies on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, it has treated the nuclear sharing model—where U.S. tactical nuclear weapons are stationed within the region, as seen in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—as a taboo due to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.
In a proposal regarding the revision of the three major security documents submitted to the government, the Japan Innovation Party emphasized extended deterrence through the U.S. nuclear umbrella and demanded that the government engage in a "realistic review" with the "ban on introduction" among the Three Non-Nuclear Principles in mind.
This differs from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which did not mention a review of the "ban on introduction" and only stated that it would "further ensure the credibility of extended deterrence" based on U.S. nuclear deterrence, effectively proposing to maintain the status quo.
In his questioning of Prime Minister Takaichi, lawmaker Matsuzawa argued that "insisting on the clause banning the introduction of nuclear weapons could potentially diminish the effectiveness of U.S. extended deterrence."
Although Prime Minister Takaichi has previously pointed out in her own books that the ban on the introduction of nuclear weapons is unrealistic, she is providing principled responses while remaining conscious of the negative views both inside and outside her party regarding a review of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.
While responding to lawmaker Matsuzawa's inquiry, she also expressed discomfort regarding the significant gap in positions between the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party.
She indicated that the discussion on revising the three major security documents, including the review of the nuclear introduction ban, would take a considerable amount of time, stating, "I was perplexed by the differences in content (between the two parties' proposals)" and "We are in a situation where we must complete the (review) work by the end of the year."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Takaichi announced that she would not attend the NATO summit being held in Türkiye until July 11 in order to attend the Diet's Settlement and Administrative Oversight Committee, and that Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi would attend in her place.
Regarding this, the Mainichi Shimbun and other outlets interpreted the move as a potential attempt to quell growing criticism that Prime Minister Takaichi is "disregarding the Diet" by pushing through controversial policies while leveraging her numerical superiority following a landslide victory in the House of Representatives election.