Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has again raised fears of a new phase of militarism in Japan by announcing in an online program that was released on Friday that Japan should have an open debate on the subject of the role of nuclear weapons in defense of the country, reported Japan Times. “While this is a difficult issue for Japan to discuss, one topic we cannot avoid is nuclear weapons,” Koizumi said.
The current government of Japan, headed by Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, is actively reviewing its national defense policy, “updating Japan’s three key national security documents to counter growing regional threats. The historic overhaul—accelerated from 2027 to this year—features a new centralized intelligence agency, expanded arms export rules, boosted AI and drone defense capabilities, and expanded defense budgets,” reported Nippon news agency in May 2026.
Koizumi noted in his remarks that the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the recent moves by Finland and France to revamp their policies towards the basing or development of tactical nuclear weapons, indicated that these changes were a result of “the serious assumption of a potential emergency,” [reported](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/19/japan/politics/koizumi-japan-nuclear-weapons-debate/ ) the Japan Times. “Considering this, I believe we must make even greater efforts to explain that the security environment in which Japan finds itself requires us to approach every policy with a strong sense of crisis, discussing and advancing them without any taboos,” Koizumi stated.
A proposal that is in agreement with current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s, which was put forward by then-Foreign Minister Katsuya Okaka in 2011, would allow nuclear-armed ships to harbor in Japan, an exception which could be exercised in the event of an emergency. Japan has made clear that any move by China to take Taiwan would be viewed as “an existential threat.” This is a dangerous perspective, since it is well-known, and also recognized by the U.S., that Taiwan is part of China.
In her 2024 book Kokuryoku Kenkyu (National Strength Research), Takaichi argued that Japan should continue its policy of neither possessing nor producing nuclear weapons, but called the ban on their introduction “unrealistic” if the country expects the United States to provide extended deterrence through its nuclear umbrella, noted the Japan Times.
One wonders if perhaps the leadership of Japan might consider a visit to the memorials of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to remind them of the terrible toll of nuclear weapons
