China urges opposition to Japanese official's remarks about possessing nuclear weapons

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China is shocked that a senior official from Japanese Prime Minister's Office brazenly claimed that Japan should have nuclear weapons, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday, urging the international community to be on high alert and firmly against such remarks.

The statements amount to a blatant challenge to the postwar international order and the nuclear non-proliferation regime, a serious threat to regional and international peace and stability, and a U-turn from Japan's commitment to "peaceful development," Lin said at a regular news briefing, adding that it is not convincing at all to say the idea is a "personal view."

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary has declined to make clarifications on the remarks by the official who is close to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Japanese Defense Minister later said that they left open the possibility of Japan reviewing its non-nuclear principles in the future.

Lin pointed out that over the years, the Japanese right-wing forces have been advancing Japan's military buildup, and their remilitarization ambition is rather apparent. Former Japanese political leaders have claimed Japan is capable of manufacturing nuclear weapons. Japan has long been manufacturing and possessing plutonium stocks far beyond what is needed for civilian nuclear power programs. Japan is a non-nuclear-weapon state capable of producing weapon-level plutonium.

The latest statements by the senior official are examples of how Japanese right-wing forces are trying to "remilitarizing" and "rearming" Japan, Lin said.

"If Japan further pushes the envelope and continues to challenge international justice and test the bottom line of the international community, China's response will be a firm 'No'," he said.

Instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, clearly stipulate that Japan should be completely disarmed and not to maintain such industries as would enable her to re-arm for war.

As a non-nuclear-weapon state to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Japan must also fully abide by the provisions of "not receiving, manufacturing, acquiring or transferring nuclear weapons," Lin said.

"These are non-negotiable obligations under international law that Japan must fulfill and should not be used as bargaining chips for political gains," he added.

Japanese militarists waged a war of aggression and committed inhumane atrocities, creating the darkest page in human history.

"Despite its defeat in World War II, Japan has never been able to fully eliminate the scourge of militarism in the country. Some forces inside Japan have not only failed to reflect on Japan's history of aggression, but also been extremely unhappy about the postwar international arrangement," the spokesperson said.

"If the right-wing forces in Japan are left free to develop powerful offensive weapons, or even possess nuclear weapons, it will again bring disaster to the world," he warned. ■