Internationalism No. 83, January 2026 Page 6 According to the Kyodo news agency, on December 17 th a senior government official involved in the revision of the three national security documents adopted in 2022 expressed his personal stance on the need for Japan to equip itself with nuclear weapons. In light of the severe security situation surrounding the archipelago and the questionable reliability of the American nuclear deterrent , Tokyo must recognise that it can only rely on itself . Although the creation of a national arsenal is unrealistic and difficult , given that the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) recognises only five nuclear States de jure , nonetheless this discussion must take place within the government . The official denies having discussions with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about the revision of the three non-nuclear principles (not to possess, manufacture, or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan) est...