Opposition parties urge Prime Minister Abe to dismiss Foreign Minister Aso

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Opposition parties urge Prime Minister Abe to dismiss Foreign Minister Aso

Four opposition parties on November 9 jointly urged Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to dismiss Foreign Minister Aso Taro who repeats remarks condoning a debate on Japan's nuclear armament.

Japanese Communist Party Diet Policy Commission chair Kokuta Keiji on behalf of JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi, and secretary generals of the Democratic, Democratic Social, and the People's New Party visited the prime minister's official residence and handed a written statement to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura Hakubun.

In the statement, they pointed out that what Aso has stated runs counter to Diet resolutions calling for a ban on nuclear weapons and denies the national policy of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles (not to possess, produce, or allow the bringing-in of nuclear weapons).

It also criticized Aso's remarks for hampering efforts of the international community to persuade North Korea into abandoning its nuclear programs.

At the meeting with the Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Kokuta quoted the Finnish parliament speaker who recently visited Japan as asking, "Is Japan going to possess nuclear weapons?" Kokuta said, "Due to Foreign Minister Aso's remarks, Japan will lose its moral ground for calling on the international community to eliminate nuclear weapons."
- Akahata, November 10, 2006

* * *

The Abe Cabinet in a written reply on November 13 rejected the four opposition parties' demand, stating that the Cabinet has a policy of maintaining the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and that Foreign Minister Aso has made clear his position to maintain this policy.
- Akahata, November 14, 2006