Japan reaffirmed its long-standing pledge not to possess nuclear weapons, following reports that a senior security official suggested the country should acquire them to deter potential threats. The unnamed official, reportedly from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office, argued that worsening security conditions justified nuclear weapons but acknowledged that pursuing them would be politically challenging, according to NHK and other media outlets. At a regular press briefing in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed that Japan’s nuclear policy remains unchanged but declined to comment on the official’s remarks or the individual’s future in government.

A Reuters investigation in August noted growing political and public support in Japan for reconsidering its three non-nuclear principles, driven partly by doubts over the reliability of US security guarantees under President Donald Trump and rising threats from nuclear-armed China, Russia, and North Korea. Japan hosts the largest overseas US military presence and has relied on its security alliance with Washington for decades.

Some lawmakers in Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party have proposed allowing US nuclear weapons into Japan via submarines or other platforms to strengthen deterrence. Last month, Takaichi fueled debate by not clarifying whether her administration’s upcoming defense strategy would alter the three non-nuclear principles.

Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics at International Christian University in Tokyo, said that such “trial balloons” help gauge public and political consensus on potential security policy changes. He added that Beijing’s assertiveness and growing missile cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang are pressuring Japan to reconsider its security stance.

However, discussions about acquiring or hosting nuclear weapons remain highly sensitive in the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings, with the potential to strain relations with neighboring countries like China. Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated last month after Takaichi stated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan could be considered a “survival-threatening situation,” potentially prompting a military response.