Japan to go nuclear? Russia warns Tokyo could get nukes within a year
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Japan to go nuclear? Russia warns Tokyo could get nukes within a year")
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photograph: (AFP)
Russia has warned that Japan could develop nuclear weapons within a year, citing Tokyo’s growing military capabilities and changing security posture.
Amid Japan's ongoing push for remilitarization, Russia has warned that Tokyo could develop its own nuclear weapons within a year. According to Russia's TASS news agency, Anton Kobyakov, Russian Presidential Assistant and Executive Secretary of the Organising Committee of the Eastern Economic Forum, said Japan could possess nuclear weapons within one year.
"There is even talk about nuclear weapons, which Japan is capable of assembling in about a year. Prime Minister [Sanae] Takaichi’s aggressive rhetoric shows that the country’s former role in the broader framework of US regional and global strategy has changed significantly, shifting towards direct involvement," he was quoted as saying by TASS.
At a memorial service marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in early August, Takaichi said Japan still follows its three non-nuclear principles. However, she did not make a clear commitment that the principles would continue to be maintained in the future.
China also raises Japan's nuclear potential
Earlier this month, China also renewed its warnings about Japan's nuclear potential. Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui claimed that Tokyo has enough plutonium to theoretically produce thousands of nuclear warheads.
In an article published by TASS, Zhang said Japan had 44.4 tonnes of plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel as of the end of 2024. He claimed the stockpile could be used to manufacture around 5,500 nuclear warheads.
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The ambassador also said Japan's spent nuclear fuel storage facilities contained another 191 tonnes of unextracted plutonium.
The statements come as Tokyo pushes to remilitarize the country amid rising tensions in its neighbourhood with China and North Korea. Geopolitical uncertainty and US President Donald Trump's changing stance towards allies have also prompted Washington's partners to increase defence spending.
Japan-Russia tensions deepen
Relations between Russia and Japan have also come under strain following the war in Ukraine. Tensions increased further after Russian President Vladimir Putin recently visited the Kuril Islands for the first time, prompting strong protests from Tokyo, which also claims the territory.
The Kremlin released a video showing Putin on one of the four main Kuril Islands. Russian media reported that he visited a fish processing plant and was presented with caviar.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticised Putin's visit and said it "offends the sentiments of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable."
"The Northern Territories are an inherent part of Japan's territory, both historically and under international law," Takaichi told reporters. She added that the visit "made it more difficult to restore relations in the medium to long term."
Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also summoned Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev on Thursday to lodge a "strong protest" over Putin's visit.
Motegi told the ambassador that Putin's visit would "have an extremely negative impact on Japan-Russia relations", according to a statement from the ministry.
Relations between the two countries have already faced pressure following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
