Japan threatens to go nuclear

The Japanese Government has come in for harsh criticism in Beijing and 
Pyongyang following dangerous remarks by a senior government official 
questioning Japan's existing no-nuclear weapons policy.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's right-hand man, Chief Cabinet 
Secretary Yasuo Fukada said, "Japan does not have offensive arms (such as 
long-range missiles and atomic bombs) as it restricts its military activity 
to self-defence". Fukada added that Japan's "defence-only" policy did not 
mean that Japan could not possess such weapons.

Earlier, deputy chief cabinet secretary Abe, in an informal lecture, 
claimed that possessing atomic weapons "if small, poses no problem".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said such remarks were 
"shocking" and that the people were "stunned by the Japanese comments. Kong 
Quan said such remarks would not only be extensively opposed by the 
Japanese people but also arouse great concern among its near neighbours in 
Asia and among all peace-loving people in the world.

Japanese Premier Koizumi tried to play down the remarks of his own men by 
stressing that his country has continued to stick to its three "no nuclear 
weapons" principles.

"I have said I have no plans to revise the principles", Koizumi said.

This did not impress the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, whose news 
agency pointed out that "an endless string of remarks made by the Japanese 
authorities about having access to nukes in the future by making a 
switchover in the policy of the three non-nuclear principles clearly 
suggests that the Japanese reactionary forces are becoming more undisguised 
in their moves to tune Japan into a military power and go nuclear".

"Since its defeat in the Second World War, Japan has styled itself a peace-
loving state, non-nuclear state and painted itself as a country active in 
the campaign for disarmament and peace; against nukes; talking about its 
'peace constitution' and non-nuclear principles.

"But as evidenced by Japan's build-up and the tremendous strength of its 
'self-defence forces', such terms as disarmament, peace and three non-
nuclear principles are nothing but a fig-leaf to cover up the revived 
Japanese militarists; moves to turn Japan into a military power and their 
policy of overseas expansion," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) 
declared.

Japanese Liberal Party leader Ozawa said last April that it would be easy 
for his country to produce nuclear weapons and surpass those of the 
People's Republic of China. He said Japan had enough plutonium from its 
nuclear power plants to make thousands of nuclear bombs.

"The Japanese militarist reactionary forces have become extremely arrogant 
and the danger posed by them is becoming increasingly real", the KCNA 
warned.

"Japan should discard its nuclear ambition, not oblivious of the lesson of 
history drawn from the nuclear disaster suffered in the past. If Japan 
persistently opts for nuclear armament, it will only invite an unimaginable 
nuclear disaster."

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New Worker paper of New Communist Party of Britain