Japan's "Three Security Documents" May Include "Introduction of Nuclear Submarines" Statement, Experts: The International Community Must Jointly Resist This Dangerous Trend

[Global Times Special Correspondent Wang Ce, Global Times Special Correspondent He Shan] As the Japanese government plans to revise the "National Security Strategy" and other "three security documents" within this year, discussions are intensifying regarding whether to include "researching the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines" in these documents. Multiple Japanese media outlets reported on the 7th that relevant proposals have emerged within the Japanese government. If the expression "researching the possession of nuclear submarines" is officially included in the documents, it will create conditions for subsequent investigations, research, simulation applications, and cost assessments. Chinese military issues expert Zhang Junsha stated in an interview with Global Times reporters that this move is a dangerous signal indicating Japan's breach of the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" and the principle of peaceful use of nuclear energy, which warrants high vigilance from regional countries and the international community.

According to a report by Kyodo News on the 7th, several relevant individuals revealed that regarding the modification of the "three security documents" within the year, proposals have emerged within the Japanese government to include nuclear submarines as one of the options to strengthen the so-called "deterrence." The Yomiuri Shimbun also reported that if "discussing the possession of nuclear submarines" is included in the new version of the "three security documents," it will create conditions for the Japanese government to initiate relevant investigations and research, and it may take several years to decide whether to officially equip them.

However, Kyodo News stated that according to Japan's "Fundamental Law on Atomic Energy," the use of nuclear energy is limited to peaceful purposes. Successive Japanese governments have adhered to the interpretation proposed by the Minister of Science and Technology in 1965, which prohibits the use of nuclear energy as propulsion for self-defense vessels. During the Shigeru Ishiba cabinet, then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also clearly stated that it is "very difficult" for Japan to possess nuclear submarines.

At a plenary session of the Japanese House of Representatives held on the 7th, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that there would be "no predictions" regarding the specific content of the modifications to the "three security documents" within the year. Regarding one of the controversial points, the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines, Takaichi said, "No decisions have been made regarding new propulsion methods for submarines."

Zhang Junsha believes that if Japan introduces nuclear submarines, its military capabilities will undergo a significant offensive transformation. Nuclear submarines possess long-duration submerged operations, high-speed maneuverability, and deep-sea operational capabilities. If further combined with vertical launch systems, long-range cruise missiles, and even submarine-launched hypersonic weapons, they could become a highly concealed long-range strike node, capable of conducting precise strikes on high-value strategic targets on land and maritime targets beyond the defense zone of other countries.

"This combination of capabilities will push Japan from a 'defensive-only' passive defense posture towards strategic deterrence and even preemptive strikes, enabling it to implement long-range preemptive strikes." Zhang Junsha believes that this far exceeds Japan's long-claimed "defensive-only" category and will disrupt the existing strategic balance and military power balance in East Asia. The international community must jointly resist this dangerous trend of Japan's right-wing forces that undermines international rule of law and challenges the bottom line of peace, preventing a repeat of historical tragedies.

Since the beginning of this year, the Japanese government has repeatedly hinted that it "does not rule out" the possession of nuclear-powered submarines. On September 28, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi declared that discussions regarding the possession of nuclear weapons and nuclear submarines should not be excluded when revising the "three security documents," claiming that discussions should be conducted without taboos or pre-set conclusions. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated at a regular press conference on September 30 that Japan is a non-nuclear weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and that not accepting, not producing, not possessing, and not proliferating nuclear weapons is an unshakable international legal obligation for Japan, with no room for negotiation.

Zhao Lijian pointed out that Takaichi Sanae reaffirmed adherence to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" in February of this year, and the Japanese representatives attending the May review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons repeatedly confirmed that there would be no change to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles." The current head of Japan's defense department making outrageous remarks about "taboo-free discussions on nuclear weapons and nuclear submarines" is a serious provocation and blatant trampling of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the post-World War II international order, seriously deviating from Japan's claimed adherence to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," and once again exposing the nuclear ambitions of Japan's right-wing forces.

Zhao Lijian emphasized that Japan's right-wing forces continue to challenge the post-World War II international order and the international non-proliferation system, straying further down the wrong path. The international community should urge Japan to adhere to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," strictly fulfill its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, completely abandon its militarization and nuclear ambitions, and effectively respond to the serious concerns of the international community.