Takaichi Vows to Maintain 3 Nonnuclear Principles

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated Thursday that her administration “firmly maintains as a policy direction” the country’s three nonnuclear principles–not possessing nuclear weapons, not producing them and not allowing them into its territory. At a press conference in the city of Hiroshima, western Japan, Takaichi declined to comment on the possibility of reviewing the nonnuclear principles with respect to the government’s plan to update its three key national security-related documents by the end of this year. “We are proceeding with a study” on the update, Takaichi, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said while stopping short of going into detail. Takaichi advocates a review of the principle of not allowing nuclear weapons into Japan, and some in the LDP are showing support for the idea in the run-up to the planned revision of the security documents. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, an LDP lawmaker, has recently highlighted the importance of holding discussions on the country’s nuclear policy without any taboos. At the press conference, Takaichi sounded cautious on Japan’s participation as an observer in a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons review conference slated for November. “We need to hold talks from the perspective of what is really effective in securing Japan’s national security and making substantive progress in nuclear disarmament,” she said. Regarding a consumption tax cut, Takaichi said, “We pledged it as a responsible ruling party” in the House of Representatives general election in February. “We obtained people’s understanding” for the government’s plan to lower the consumption tax rate for food effectively to zero for two years, Takaichi stressed. The government adopted Wednesday a plan to cut the tax rate to 1 pct from 8 pct for fiscal 2027 and fiscal 2028. It also plans to provide cash benefits to effectively lower the consumption tax rate for food to zero. On her recent remark that she will bring the food tax rate back to 8 pct after two years with her “responsibility,” the prime minister said it “shows my determination.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]