Japanese Public Opposes U.S. Nuclear Weapons Deployment, Poll Reveals
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, a nationwide survey conducted by the Japan Public Opinion Research Association has revealed that 76 percent of Japanese citizens support the nation’s three non-nuclear principles. These principles mandate that Japan neither possesses, manufactures, nor permits the deployment of nuclear weapons within its territory or territorial waters.
The survey further highlighted that 77 percent of respondents believe Japan should not adopt a policy of nuclear sharing, a framework that would allow the United States to station its nuclear weapons in Japan for joint use.
In a separate section of the poll addressing recent U.S. actions, a substantial 90 percent of participants stated their opposition to U.S. military action against Iran and Venezuela.
The survey also questioned respondents about the Japanese government’s April decision to lift a decades-long ban on the export of lethal weapons. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed believe the ban on lethal weapons exports should be maintained or that the policy warrants reconsideration.
The poll, which surveyed 3,000 individuals, comes amid warnings from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Beijing has cautioned Japan against any actions that could alter its non-nuclear principles or permit the stationing of U.S. nuclear weapons on its soil, stating that such moves would undermine the nuclear non-proliferation regime and threaten regional security.
