China vows to block Japan's alleged nuclear arms push at treaty talks
Sun Xiaobo urged nations to stay on high alert over Japan’s alleged nuclear plans, while Tomiko Ichikawa said Tokyo’s policy permits only peaceful nuclear use.
- At a U.N. Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty conference, a Chinese official vowed that Beijing would “resolutely prevent Japan from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
- China accused Japan of pushing to revise its pacifist constitution and three non-nuclear principles, and of seeking to allow allies to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory.
- A Japanese ambassador rejected the allegations, stating that Japan's principles do not permit the introduction of nuclear weapons and that its nuclear energy program is for peaceful purposes only.
China’s Sun Xiaobo told a Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday (April 29) that Beijing would “resolutely prevent Japan from acquiring nuclear weapons”.
Sun, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Arms Control Department, also urged the international community to “stay on high alert,” accusing Japan of efforts that could undermine nuclear nonproliferation.
He said Japan “is pushing to revise its pacifist Constitution and three non-nuclear principles” and is seeking to allow allies to deploy nuclear weapons on Japanese territory.
Another Chinese representative told the conference that “the issue of Japan's pursuit of nuclear weapons has become a reality rather than a potential threat” since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office last autumn. The representative said this was “posing a serious challenge” to the post-World War II international order and the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
Tomiko Ichikawa, Japan’s ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, rejected the allegations, saying “the introduction of nuclear weapons (by Japan) is not permitted” under the three non-nuclear principles.
Ichikawa said, “Japan has been limiting its research, development and use of nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes”.
She added that Japan “will continue to work closely with the international community to realise a world without nuclear weapons” and “will continue to advance realistic and practical efforts to maintain and strengthen the NPT regime”.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
