It is indisputable that Japan holds a large amount of weapons-grade nuclear materials; thisshould be a matter of concern to the international community.
Yun Byung-se, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, emphasized that if a countyholds or produces more nuclear materials than it actually needs there is always a risk thatit will become a threat to itself and to other countries. Meanwhile John Kerry, U.S.Secretary of State, also said that preventing Japan from developing nuclear weapons is oneof the key points of American diplomacy.
Facing such pressure from the international community, Japan has participated ininternational nuclear affairs in apparent good faith. But according to a report from KyodoNews Agency, the draft of the statement which will be released after the non-proliferationand disarmament initiative meeting in Hiroshima next month may demand that China andsome other countries join in the arms control negotiations between the US and Russia.
China strictly abides by its commitment to no first use of nuclear weapons at any time andin any circumstances, and commits not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons againstnuclear weapon-free countries and in nuclear weapon-free zones. China's nuclear policy isopen, transparent and responsible, a fact that has been widely recognized by theinternational community.
The negotiations on strategic arms reduction between the US and Russia date from thecold war period, and developed agaiinst a background of the nuclear arms race between thetwo superpowers of that time. It is absurd that some Japanese want China to join in thesenegotiations.
Even some Japanese media have pointed out that dragging China into the arms controlnegotiations between the US and Russia is a "public relations gimmick" that aims toconfuse the public.
Japan has always assumed an ambiguous attitude towards nuclear weapons issues. Asearly as 1957, the then Japanese premier Nobusuke Kishi asserted that Japan would notexclude the possibility of owning nuclear weapons for self-defense purposes. And whenKishi's brother Satō Eisaku was elected Japanese premier, though he announced the ThreeNon-Nuclear Principles, in private he claimed that these principles were simply "window-dressing". For decades, Japan has purposely maintained itself "a screwdriver's distance"from making nuclear warheads.
What is the purpose of Japan's large stocks of weapon-grade nuclear materials? Japanmust come clean, and remove any doubts of the part of the international community bypractical actions.
The article is edited and translated from《日本，别有用心的“核热心”》, source: People'sDaily, author: Zhong Sheng. （Editor：KongDefang、Gao Yinan） Related reading
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