Foreign minister hints at possibility of nuclear weapons being brought into ports in emergency

Japan Press Weekly

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Foreign minister hints at possibility of nuclear weapons being brought into ports in emergency

Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya in the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on March 17 indicated that in cases of emergency, the government would make a final judgment on the need for U.S. vessels loaded with nuclear weapons to temporarily call at Japanese ports.

The foreign minister’s statement, an acknowledgement of the bringing-in of nuclear weapons into Japan, was made in response to questioning by Japanese Communist Party Lower House member Kasai Akira.

Kasai demanded that the government clearly abide by the Three Non-nuclear Principles to not produce, possess, or allow nuclear weapons to be brought into Japan.

The expert panel’s report which the ministry made public on March 9 over Japan-U.S. secret agreements on nuclear weapons admitted that the “Record of Discussion” exists but denied that it was a secret agreement. On the grounds that the United States in 1991 and 1994 had decided to remove tactical nuclear weapons from surface ships, Okada said that no nuclear weapons will be brought into Japan.

Kasai stated that the U.S. decision covers only normal occasions, and that the United States maintains the nuclear attack capability by loading attack-type nuclear-powered submarines with nuclear Tomahawk missiles in case of an emergency or whenever the need arises.

In fact, nuclear Tomahawk-capable Los Angeles-class attack submarines called at Japan’s ports nearly 500 times between 2000 and 2009.

The U.S. policy is to neither admit nor deny whether a vessel or aircraft is laden with nuclear weapons. Kasai pointed out that with this U.S. policy and a secret Japan-U.S. agreement in the background, Japan is allowing nuclear weapons to secretly be brought into Japan. Kasai said that it is only possible to maintain the Three Non-nuclear Principles if the secret agreement is abolished.

Kasai also asked Okada if he received a reply from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to his letter concerning the withdrawal of nuclear Tomahawk missiles from service. Okada said that he got a reply but refused to reveal what it states.

- Akahata, March 18, 2010