べらんめえ

The reported claims that "Japan should possess nuclear weapons" by a senior government official, who advises Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on security, continue to draw strong backlash from home and abroad. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister #AndreyRudenko told state news agency #Tass on December 20 that "We are aware that discussions are now under way in Japan on amending the provisions of its constitution regarding the non-nuclear status." he said that "Our attitude is absolutely negative." "We believe that the militarization of Japan will only make situation in Northeast Asia worse and, of course, will entail due countermeasures from countries who see this militarization as a threat," the senior Russian diplomat added, according to Tass. According to North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (#KCNA) on December 21, the director of Institute for Japan Studies under DPRK Foreign Ministry released a press statement saying that "The war criminal state Japan's attempt to go nuclear must be prevented at any cost as it will bring mankind a great disaster." According to KCNA press statement, the North Korean official pointed out that "This is not a misstatement or a reckless assertion, but clearly reflects Japan's long-cherished ambition for nuclear weaponization. It constitutes an open challenge to Japan's Constitution as well as all the international laws stipulating the duties of a defeated nation." On December 18, an unnamed official was quoted as saying in the Asahi Shimbun that he personally believes that "Japan should possess nuclear weapons." The official is responsible for advising Takaichi on security policies and related matters, according to the report.  On December 19, Chief Cabinet Secretary #MinoruKihara claimed that Japan is committed to its non-nuclear principles, which #KyodoNews commented was "downplaying remarks" by an official a day earlier supporting possession of nuclear weapons in a deviation from long-standing policy. In response to the claims by the unnamed Japanese official, Chinese FM spokesperson Guo Jiakun warned on December 19 that Japan must deeply reflect on its historical crimes, abide by international law and Japan's Constitution, stop finding excuses to expand military buildup, and stop testing the bottom line and red line of international justice on the issue of owning nuclear weapons. On an #NHK program that aired on December 21, #ItsunoriOnodera, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Research Commission on Security, expressed that there is a need to discuss the form and future of the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." Referring to Japan's current reliance on the US' "nuclear umbrella," he stated, "This issue should indeed be one of the subjects for debate," #SankeiShimbun reported. #Jiji Press reported that a spokesperson for US State Department claimed in a statement on December 19 that Japan is "a global leader and a valuable partner" on nuclear nonproliferation and advancing nuclear arms control. "It apparently urged Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic bombings in war, to maintain its current stance of aiming for a world without nuclear weapons," #JijiPress noted. As a core security policy advisor to Takaichi, this official's remarks function more as a "probing" of public opinion, reflecting the broader backdrop of Japan's increasingly radicalized security policies and the erosion of its pacifist foundations. A South Korean scholar who requested anonymity said on December 21 that once Japanese politicians publicly advocate for nuclear armament, it will inevitably trigger high vigilance from international community, especially neighboring countries. Opposition and concern in international community underscores shared international vigilance toward the right-wing "remilitarization" ambitions in Japan, the scholar added.