January 16 & 17, 2015
Japan’s former Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro, 96, had himself proposed that the U.S. bring nuclear arms into Japan. This was revealed in diplomatic documents the Foreign Ministry disclosed on January 15.
According to the papers, in September 1970, Nakasone, who served as Director General of the Defense Agency, visited the U.S. to meet with Defense Secretary Melvin Laird. In the meeting, Nakasone told Laird that he thinks it is better to “reserve the option” of allowing the U.S. to bring nuclear weapons into Japan. Nakasone’s remarks were already public knowledge in U.S. declassified documents, but this is the first time that Japan’s authorities disclosed this information.
In response to a Kyodo News inquiry about this issue, Nakasone’s office said, “Refer to the book he published in 2012.”
In this book, Nakasone said, “In a state of emergency, it is possible for Washington to carry nuclear weapons into Japan after consultations with Tokyo.”
In the late 1960s, Prime Minister Sato Eisaku established a national policy referred to as the three non-nuclear principles (not possessing, not manufacturing, and not allowing nuclear arms into the country). So there was no allowance for the bringing-in of U.S. atomic weapons into Japan because of an “emergency”.
Japan’s other diplomatic documents disclosed in 2010 show that Tokyo and Washington concluded a secret pact in 1960 enabling the U.S. to bring nuclear weapons into Japan without any prior consultations, and successive Japanese prime ministers, including Nakasone, have abided by the pact.
When former Japanese Communist Party Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo questioned the secret nuclear deal in a Lower House plenary session in December 1982, then Prime Minister Nakasone replied without compunction, “I’ve never said that I would allow the entry of nuclear arms into the nation.”
Past related articles:
> Former US senior gov’t official: secret nuclear pacts on Okinawa are still valid [September 22, 2014]
> Ex-PM confesses he knew about secret nuclear weapons agreement [October 29, 2012]
According to the papers, in September 1970, Nakasone, who served as Director General of the Defense Agency, visited the U.S. to meet with Defense Secretary Melvin Laird. In the meeting, Nakasone told Laird that he thinks it is better to “reserve the option” of allowing the U.S. to bring nuclear weapons into Japan. Nakasone’s remarks were already public knowledge in U.S. declassified documents, but this is the first time that Japan’s authorities disclosed this information.
In response to a Kyodo News inquiry about this issue, Nakasone’s office said, “Refer to the book he published in 2012.”
In this book, Nakasone said, “In a state of emergency, it is possible for Washington to carry nuclear weapons into Japan after consultations with Tokyo.”
In the late 1960s, Prime Minister Sato Eisaku established a national policy referred to as the three non-nuclear principles (not possessing, not manufacturing, and not allowing nuclear arms into the country). So there was no allowance for the bringing-in of U.S. atomic weapons into Japan because of an “emergency”.
Japan’s other diplomatic documents disclosed in 2010 show that Tokyo and Washington concluded a secret pact in 1960 enabling the U.S. to bring nuclear weapons into Japan without any prior consultations, and successive Japanese prime ministers, including Nakasone, have abided by the pact.
When former Japanese Communist Party Chair Fuwa Tetsuzo questioned the secret nuclear deal in a Lower House plenary session in December 1982, then Prime Minister Nakasone replied without compunction, “I’ve never said that I would allow the entry of nuclear arms into the nation.”
Past related articles:
> Former US senior gov’t official: secret nuclear pacts on Okinawa are still valid [September 22, 2014]
> Ex-PM confesses he knew about secret nuclear weapons agreement [October 29, 2012]
