It is indisputable that Japan holds a large amount of weapons-grade nuclear materials; this should be a matter of concern to the international community.

Yun Byung-se, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, emphasized that if a county holds or produces more nuclear materials than it actually needs there is always a risk that it will become a threat to itself and to other countries. Meanwhile John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, also said that preventing Japan from developing nuclear weapons is one of the key points of American diplomacy.

Facing such pressure from the international community, Japan has participated in international nuclear affairs in apparent good faith. But according to a report from Kyodo News Agency, the draft of the statement which will be released after the non-proliferation and disarmament initiative meeting in Hiroshima next month may demand that China and some other countries join in the arms control negotiations between the US and Russia.

China strictly abides by its commitment to no first use of nuclear weapons at any time and in any circumstances, and commits not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against nuclear weapon-free countries and in nuclear weapon-free zones. China's nuclear policy is open, transparent and responsible, a fact that has been widely recognized by the international community.

The negotiations on strategic arms reduction between the US and Russia date from the cold war period, and developed agaiinst a background of the nuclear arms race between the two superpowers of that time. It is absurd that some Japanese want China to join in these negotiations.

Even some Japanese media have pointed out that dragging China into the arms control negotiations between the US and Russia is a "public relations gimmick" that aims to confuse the public.

Japan has always assumed an ambiguous attitude towards nuclear weapons issues. As early as 1957, the then Japanese premier Nobusuke Kishi asserted that Japan would not exclude the possibility of owning nuclear weapons for self-defense purposes. And when Kishi's brother Satō Eisaku was elected Japanese premier, though he announced the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, in private he claimed that these principles were simply "window-dressing". For decades, Japan has purposely maintained itself "a screwdriver's distance" from making nuclear warheads.

What is the purpose of Japan's large stocks of weapon-grade nuclear materials? Japan must come clean, and remove any doubts of the part of the international community by practical actions.

The article is edited and translated from《日本，别有用心的“核热心”》, source: People's Daily, author: Zhong Sheng.