One of the most closely followed news stories in Japan this month was the so-called off-the-record nuclear armament remarks made by a senior national security official at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office. While China and North Korea harshly criticized Japan¡¯s ¡°resurgence of militarism,¡± domestic media commentaries in Japan were sharply divided.
First, let¡¯s compare the recent editorials of major daily newspapers whose positions diverge significantly. For example, on Dec. 20, the editorial of the most left-leaning newspaper, the Tokyo Shimbun, started off as follows:
A senior government official responsible for national security policy at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office told reporters that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. While he claims it is his personal view, mentioning possession of nuclear weapons as the Takaichi administration considers revising the Three Non-Nuclear Principles invites misunderstanding both domestically and internationally that the Japanese government harbors ambitions for nuclear armament. The remarks cannot escape criticism for being reckless.
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