China rejects Japanese defense chief's remarks on nuclear weapons

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that Japan is a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and its obligations not to receive, manufacture, acquire, or transfer nuclear weapons are "non-negotiable international legal duties that brook no bargaining".

Guo made the remarks at a daily news conference while voicing opposition to recent remarks by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who said that discussion about Japan acquiring nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered submarines as part of revisions to the country's key security documents should not be ruled out.

The reckless remarks by Japan's defense chief constitute a serious provocation against, and a blatant trampling on, the NPT and the post-World War II international order, Guo said.

He stressed that the remarks represent a grave departure from the Three Non-Nuclear Principles that Japan claims to uphold, and once again expose the nuclear ambitions of Japan's right-wing forces.

The international community should urge Japan to abide by relevant principles, fulfill its NPT obligations, abandon its attempts at "remilitarization" and acquiring nuclear weapons, and earnestly respond to the solemn concerns of the international community, he added.