Japanese DM refutes ex-PM Abe's nuclear weapons sharing idea

TOKYO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Tuesday refuted former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's controversial notion that Japan should discuss the possibility of a nuclear sharing arrangement with the United States amid Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

During his remarks on a news conference, Kishi advocated for the continued need for Japan to adhere to its three nonnuclear principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear arms on its territory, which were inspired by the devastating atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.

If there is a framework assuming that "U.S. nuclear weapons are deployed in our territory, even in peacetime, and they are ready to be carried by our fighter jets in an emergency, that would never be allowed," Kishi said.

"There are no changes to our adherence to the three non-nuclear principles," he stated.

On a TV program on Sunday about Japan's security environment as it relates to Russia's military moves in Ukraine, Abe said that "it is necessary to understand how the world's security is maintained. We should not put a taboo on discussions about the reality we face."

The former prime minister, who heads the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, suggested that Japan should start discussions on seeking a nuclear sharing arrangement with the United States similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's nuclear deterrence policy, after Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine.

On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also condemned Abe's remarks, saying it is "completely unacceptable" for Japan to make a nuclear sharing deal with the United States, spurning Abe's notion of Japan hosting U.S. nuclear weapons amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine.