JAKARTA - Following a controversial statement by a Japanese security official who suggested that Tokyo consider possessing nuclear weapons for national defense, the United States Department of State named Japan a "global leader" in efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.
"The United States will continue to maintain the most powerful, credible, and modern nuclear deterrent in the world to protect America and our allies, including Japan," a US State Department spokesperson said in an official response to the statement, Friday, reported by ANTARA, Saturday, December 20.
The spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed that Japan was a "very valuable partner for the United States" in promoting nuclear arms control, calling the two countries' alliance, which has been forged for decades, a "key pillar of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region."
The US statement came after an official working in the office of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in an informal conversation with reporters on Thursday, expressed his support for the idea of Japan having nuclear weapons.
However, on the same occasion, the official - who is tasked with providing input on national security issues - admitted that the discourse on Japan's possession of nuclear weapons was unrealistic to realize.
Responding to the public's harsh reaction, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Friday reiterated Japan's commitment to the three non-nuclear principles, namely not having, not producing, and not allowing nuclear weapons to enter Japanese territory.
Japan is so far the only country in the world that has ever experienced nuclear attacks, namely in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
The security official's statement came at a sensitive time, as Prime Minister Takaichi's government - which took office in October - and the ruling party are reviewing Japan's defense policy, including a possible review of the non-nuclear principles that have long been the foundation of the country's security policy.
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