The policy chief of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling for a national dialogue on a topic that until recently was rarely mentioned in public discourse — the country’s nuclear option.
Shoichi Nakagawa said the nuclear threat from neighboring North Korea justified discussing the controversial issue.
"Don't we have to consider what we should do to prevent North Korea's actions, and don't we have to discuss the measures now, including nuclear [weapons]?" Shoichi Nakagawa said in a speech in the city of Saga. "I strongly believe many Japanese nationals will seriously think about this issue," he said.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were obliterated by U.S. atomic bombs at the end of World War II, killing more than 210,000 people. Post-World War II Japan has been governed under a U.S.-imposed "peace" constitution that limits military power to strictly defensive operations.
Appearing on Fuji TV, Nakagawa also said: "We should hold a debate, including on what should be done if a nuclear missile comes flying toward us."
Nakagawa, a close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has argued that Japan should not shy away from discussing the nuclear option.
"As a form of deterrence, one can argue nuclear is an option. We must discuss all options to ensure that Japan would not come under nuclear attack," he said during a recent visit to Washington. Nakagawa has also strongly supported revising Japan's Constitution to give the country a more active military role.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso has also called for Japan to begin debating whether it should acquire nuclear weapons.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said Japan has the legal right to develop such weapons despite its pacifist Constitution, which allows Japan "the right to possess minimum capability" for self-defense, he said.
But Abe has ruled out discussing the nuclear option at this time.
South Korean officials have expressed concern that North Korea's nuclear test last month could give Japan a pretext to go nuclear, which would cause China to boost its defense and raise military tensions in Northeast Asia.
