Koizumi Cabinet's animosity toward non-nuclear principles -- Akahata editorial, June 2

Chief Cabinet Secretary Fekuda Yasuo has stated, "Logically speaking, it would be constitutional for Japan to possess nuclear weapons," adding that the "Three Non-nuclear Principles may be altered if public opinion becomes in favor of it."

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro denied that he "will consider reviewing the Three Non-nuclear Principles at present" but said, "It's a matter to be decided by the people."

Not only Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) but a wide range of the people are angered by Fukuda's remarks that blatantly expressed hostile views to the Three Non-nuclear Principles.

Against the current

The Three Non-nuclear Principles were established as a national will of Japan and are embraced by all people regardless of their political views.

The atomic bomb took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people instantly. Those who were fortunate to survive are still suffering from atomic diseases; they cannot be free from fearing that their children and grandchildren might be affected. This is why the Japanese people, who know how atrocious nuclear weapons are from their experience in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been calling for nuclear weapons to be abolished in order to prevent the same tragedy from occurring.

It is natural that Japan does not possess, manufacture, or allow nuclear weapons into the country. This makes the Three Non-nuclear Principles Japan's national policy, which have been unaffected by any government policy.

This is also clear from the fact that many municipalities have declared themselves nuclear-free, calling for nuclear weapons to be abolished.

This explains why past governments have been obliged to stand for the Three Non-nuclear Principles.

The Japanese people's earnest call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and a ban on their use has grown to be a call of the world influencing many governments throughout the world. This call forms such a strong current that no one can stop it. At the 2000 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, nuclear weapons possessing countries, including the United States, had to accept the unequivocal commitment to nuclear weapons abolition.

These remarks that approve of Japan's possession of nuclear weapons as constitutional and suggest that the Three Non-nuclear Principles might be altered trample on the national will calling for nuclear weapons to be eliminated and go against the international current.

The point is that these remarks were made not just as a slip of the tongue or as a sudden idea.

The Fukuda statement is a manifestation of the true colors of the Koizumi Cabinet as made clear from Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro's comment that Fukuda's remarks were "not even worthy of serious discussion."

The same is true of the hostile remarks to the Constitution which the prime minister has repeated in conjunction with his plan to enact contingency legislation to allow the Self-Defense Forces to take part in U.S. wars and mobilize the people for war.

The Koizumi Cabinet's hostile attitude toward the non-nuclear national policy can only be explained in the context of the U.S. plans for using nuclear weapons against North Korea and Iraq which it labels as an "axis of evil." At a time when most governments in the world are critical of U.S. plans, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi praises the "axis of evil" threat, expressing support for the plan.

The hostile remarks against the Three Non-nuclear Principles are the clearest expression of the Koizumi Cabinet's dangerous intention to follow the U.S. Bush administration's nuclear weapons adherence policy and even take part in U.S. wars.

Obstacle to friendly relations

The Koizumi Cabinet's reckless animosity toward the Japanese people's desire for a nuclear-free, peaceful, and democratic Japan is no longer controllable.

It is the way to undermine Japan's relations with the rest of Asia and the world and put a major obstacle to the Japanese people's efforts to establish peaceful and friendly relations with other peoples in the 21st century.

No one can deny that the Koizumi Cabinet is not qualified to represent the only atomic-bombed country and that it does much harm and no good in this regard. (end)