Japan Is Considering Acquiring Nuclear Weapons

For a long time, this topic was considered taboo in the country.

Japan “cannot avoid” discussing the issue of nuclear weapons, said the country’s defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi, according to Kyodo News. The minister cited France and Finland as examples of countries taking steps to strengthen nuclear deterrence. In mid-June, the Finnish Parliament passed a law lifting the ban on the import, transit, and storage of nuclear weapons within the country’s territory to ensure national defense. The bill was later signed by President Alexander Stubb.

According to Koizumi, the security situation surrounding Japan has become more tense, and Tokyo needs to change its approach, which has led to certain topics being considered off-limits for discussion. Japan, which suffered atomic bombings by the United States in 1945, is under the protection of the U.S. nuclear umbrella and adheres to three principles: not to produce, not to possess, and not to allow the presence of nuclear weapons on its territory. In November 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raised the issue of revising these principles.

The government began discussing this topic amid the revision of three key national security documents. Takaichi, in particular, proposed lifting the ban on the import of nuclear weapons, as it weakens U.S. deterrence capabilities. Currently, Washington is not permitted to station such munitions at its military bases in Japan or on ships calling at its ports.

A Kyodo source involved in security policy formulation within the Takaichi administration stated in December that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. This drew a negative reaction from opposition parties and some countries.

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