TOKYO - The ruling bloc led by the Liberal Democratic Party is expected to discuss an option of possessing nuclear-powered submarines and reviewing Japan's long-held non-nuclear principles ahead of the upcoming key security documents update, an LDP lawmaker said Wednesday.
At the meeting of the party's Research Commission on Security on Wednesday, there were calls for the consideration of introducing such submarines, and of "nuclear sharing," an arrangement under which the United States would deploy nuclear weapons in Japan for joint operation, Taro Honda, the secretary general of the commission, said.
The government's panel is expected to compile a report on the review of the security documents in early December, according to a government source.
Taking into account the requests from the meeting and the report, the LDP and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, will discuss the issues of nuclear-powered submarines, the three non-nuclear principles and the size of defense budget.
In Japan, the sole country that has suffered nuclear attacks in war, the atomic energy law limits the use of nuclear power to peaceful purposes, and past administrations have maintained that it cannot be used to power submarines operated by the Self-Defense Forces.
The idea of allowing nuclear sharing is apparently aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrence protecting Japan.
But the three non-nuclear principles prohibit the possession, production or introduction of nuclear weapons.
For the update of the documents, including the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Buildup Program, the Japanese government is expected to outline "six changes" in the security environment, including the weaponization of economic interdependence, government sources said.
The government is considering including in the National Defense Strategy a commitment to strengthening its "capabilities to deny" an adversary's aggression in coordination with the United States, the sources said.
It will also call for expanded Japan-U.S. cooperation to strengthen the defense industrial base and deeper security ties with like-minded countries, the sources said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known for her hawkish stance on national security, has decided to review the documents, previously updated in 2022, amid China's growing assertiveness, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs.
