Japan can no longer avoid nuclear weapons debate: defence chief

Japan’s defence chief has said Tokyo needs a debate on nuclear weapons, as some European countries are seeking greater nuclear deterrence.

Japan “cannot avoid touching” on the issue, DefenceMinisterShinjiro Koizumi said during an online programme, according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News on Sunday.

Observing that Japan’s security environment has grown “harsher,” he argued that Tokyo needs to change a situation in which some topics are considered unacceptable to debate.

Koizumi pointed to the strategic efforts of France and Finland to bolster their nuclear deterrence capabilities.

Finland’s parliament in June approved a bill that would allow nuclear weapons to be brought into the country, while French President Emmanuel Macron said in March that his country would increase the number of nuclear warheads.

Debating non-nuclear principles