Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

When asked about a research report released by Chinese academic institutes on Thursday which points out that Japan's continuously expanding right-wing nuclear ambitions pose a serious threat to world peace and calls on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to immediately clarify Japan's stance on nuclear weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Thursday that the report exposes the nuclear ambitions of the Japanese right-wing forces, detailing dangerous facts such as Japan's secret development of nuclear weapons, long-term stockpiling of large quantities of sensitive nuclear materials, and its potential to develop nuclear capabilities.

It provides an in-depth analysis of the negative impact of the nuclear-related rhetoric and actions of the Japanese right-wing on international peace and security. The report also offers a series of recommendations to mitigate the adverse effects of Japan's words and deeds and issues a call to oppose Japan's pursuit of nuclear weapons in order to safeguard world peace, Mao said.

Since the new Japanese administration took office, it has been in a hurry to reveal the nuclear ambitions of the Japanese right-wing forces, Mao said, noting that senior officials, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have been pushing for revisions to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," hinting at the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines, advocating for strengthening the so-called extended deterrence for Japan, and publicly claiming that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. 

Such actions by Japan pose a serious challenge to the international nuclear non-proliferation system based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and to the post-war international order, sparking strong opposition from both the international community and various sectors within Japan, said the spokesperson.

Japan's increasingly expanding right-wing nuclear ambitions are a dangerous signal of the resurgence of Japanese militarism, posing a severe threat to world peace and stability. The Japanese side should take seriously the just calls of the international community, immediately clarify its stance on the nuclear weapons issue, and adhere to its obligations under the NPT and the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," Mao said.

The international community must remain highly vigilant against Japan's dangerous tendency to pursue nuclear weapons, exercise caution in nuclear cooperation with Japan, continue discussions in bilateral and multilateral forums to curb Japan's nuclear ambitions, and enhance supervision and verification over Japan. This will ensure that international law and the international nuclear non-proliferation system remain uncompromised, and urge Japan to cease testing the red lines of international justice on the issue of nuclear acquisition, Mao said.

Global Times