Japanese PM Says Japan Will Stick to 3 'No-Nukes' Principles

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, June 03, 2002

Japanese PM Says Japan Will Stick to 3 'No-Nukes' Principles

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday reiterated that Japan will adhere to its three "no nuclear weapon" principles, Kyodo News reported.

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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday reiterated that Japan will adhere to its three "no nuclear weapon" principles, Kyodo News reported.

Koizumi made the statement to deny a remark reportedly releasedby a close aide last week that the principles could be amended.

"Why has a controversy been brought about? I have said I have no plan for revising the principles," the premier told reporters at his office.

The three principles, adopted in 1967, are that Japan will not produce or possess nuclear weapons nor allow them on its territory.

Last Friday, a "top government official" told reporters on condition of anonymity that the principles could be revised.

"The principles are just like the Constitution. But in the faceof calls to amend the Constitution, amendment of the principles isalso likely," the official said.

On Friday evening, Koizumi said Japan will adhere to the principles of not allowing nuclear weapons to be a part of state defense policy.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda also told a press conference Monday, "Japanese cabinets have held fast to the three principles. We have no plan for changing the stance."

But the official said Friday that Japan's defense-only policy does not mean Japan cannot possess such weapons in terms of legal interpretation of the war-renouncing Constitution.

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