Recent pro-nuclear remarks by senior Japanese officials have drawn intense international attention.

A senior official at the Prime Minister's Office of Japan recently suggested that Japan should consider acquiring nuclear weapons. The statement was met with the Chief Cabinet Secretary's refusal to provide clarification. Simultaneously, the Defense Minister indicated that revising Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles was not out of the question.

Such pro-nuclear rhetoric constitutes an open provocation against the postwar international order and the nuclear non-proliferation regime, once again exposing Japan's accelerated "re-militarization" and posing a threat to regional and global peace and stability.

What do nuclear weapons mean for Japan?

As the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, Japan carries profound lessons about the catastrophic consequences of atomic weapons. This historical experience should instill a unique understanding of their devastating impact.

The Three Non-Nuclear Principles—prohibiting the possession, production and introduction of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory—were officially adopted by the Japanese Diet as national policy in 1971.

For decades, adherence to these principles has been a critical indicator of Japan's genuine commitment to peaceful development in the eyes of the international community.

Paradoxically, certain right-wing politicians now view the Three Non-Nuclear Principles as obstacles. While actively promoting Japan's identity as a "peace-loving nation" and advocating for global nuclear disarmament through narratives of nuclear victimhood, they simultaneously test international boundaries by seeking to abandon these very principles.

Since the formation of the Sanae Takaichi-led government, the pro-nuclear trend has become increasingly explicit: hints of abandoning the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, media reports of plans to revise the principle of not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons and now open clamor from figures close to the prime minister that Japan should possess nuclear weapons.

Such fallacies by Japanese officials are clearly at odds with the peace-oriented ideals Japan proclaims to the outside world, once again laying bare Japan's hypocritical stance on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

The pro-nuclear remarks by Japanese officials also exposed their disregard for obligations under international law. According to internationally binding documents such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, Japan is required to "be completely disarmed" and must not "maintain industries that would enable it to rearm."

As a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Japan must strictly abide by the provisions prohibiting the acceptance, manufacture, possession and proliferation of nuclear weapons. Any pro-nuclear statements by Japanese officials constitute a challenge to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.

These pro-nuclear remarks are not isolated incidents. In recent years, Japan has taken a series of steps to adjust its security policy, including loosening restrictions on the exercise of "collective self-defense," expanding the scope of activities of the Self-Defense Forces, developing medium and long-range offensive weapons, increasing troop deployments and restructuring command systems.

Since taking office, the Takaichi administration has promoted the notion of a "survival-threatening situation" and heightened security concerns to expedite military expansion and a buildup of forces. Their goal is to meet the target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense two years ahead of schedule.

The statement also suggests that the possibility of introducing nuclear-powered submarines is still open. Additionally, it outlines several actions being taken, such as relaxing restrictions on arms exports, strengthening "extended deterrence," revising three key national security documents—including the National Security Strategy—and discussing modifications to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

In light of recent comments on nuclear issues, it is clear that Japan's right-wing factions, dissatisfied with postwar international agreements, are eager to break away from current restrictions. They seem intent on reverting to a misguided path of military expansion.

Japan is widely regarded by experts as a "threshold nuclear state," having already mastered key technologies and materials required to manufacture nuclear weapons, and having long produced and stockpiled plutonium far in excess of civilian nuclear energy needs.

Precisely for this reason, any loosening of Japan's nuclear policy would have a severe impact on the regional security landscape and would also create serious security dilemmas for Japan itself.

Many rational voices in Japan have stressed the need for the country to uphold the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, including former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who stated that possessing nuclear weapons would by no means be beneficial for Japan, and Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who has called for the swift replacement of officials who advocate Japan's possession of nuclear weapons. The Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly has also unanimously adopted a statement urging the Japanese government to adhere to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

The international nuclear non-proliferation regime is an essential pillar of the postwar global order. Firmly safeguarding this regime is tantamount to protecting the hard-won outcomes of victory in World War II. China will work with all peace-loving countries to remain highly vigilant against Japan's dangerous moves on the nuclear issue and resolutely prevent the resurgence of militarism in Japan.