Japan Refuses to Give Up Non-Nuclear Principles Amid N Korean Nuke Threat

Japan will not give up its Three Non-Nuclear Principles in response to the nuclear threat coming from North Korea, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — On Sunday, US presidential hopeful Donald Trump said he would be open to Japan and South Korea building their own nuclear weapons, as North Korea continued missile tests.

"Three Non-Nuclear Principles are the basic and important policy of our government," Suga told at a press conference commenting on Trump's remarks.

In January, Pyongyang claimed it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test. Earlier in March, North Korea launched five short-range missiles that landed in the Sea of Japan, which became Pyongyang's third missile power test, including launches of medium-range ballistic missiles.

Tokyo's three non-nuclear principles, namely non-possession, non-manufacturing and non-introduction of nuclear weapons into the country's territory, were adopted in the late 1960s to reflect general public sentiment and national policy.