Japan PM candidate Taro Kono risks sinking campaign with nuclear sub plan to counter China

Taro Kono says it is needed for national security, but his proposal was met with opposition due to Japan’s historical aversion to nuclear weapons

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Japan’s Minister for Digital Transformation, Taro Kono, has sparked controversy by suggesting the nation deploy nuclear submarines to counter China’s growing military presence. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 12:00pm, 7 Sep 2024Updated: 1:35pm, 7 Sep 2024

One of the top contenders to be Japan’s next prime minister may have sunk his campaign by declaring that the nation should deploy nuclear submarines to counter the growing security threat posed by China.

Taro Kono, the Minister for Digital Transformation and a candidate for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, proposed the idea during his policy outline on Thursday, questioned if Japan’s current defences are sufficient to protect the nation from its regional rivals.

“Do we need to deploy nuclear submarines that can remain submerged for long hours by Japan joining Aukus [the Australia-UK-US security alliance] … and foiling attempts [by our enemies’ warships] to pass through the East China Sea into the Pacific Ocean?” Kono asked.

Kono’s comments were quickly opposed by Yoshimasa Hayashi, the chief cabinet secretary and another candidate to take over from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida when the party votes for a new leader on September 27.

“We do not have any plans to possess nuclear-powered submarines,” Hayashi told a press conference in Tokyo. “Based on the current interpretation of the [atomic energy] law, it is difficult for Japan to acquire one.”

Kono’s proposal has sparked controversy and raised doubts about his campaign. Photo: Kyodo

Beyond the legal hurdles to overcome, there remains deep hostility to the idea of developing or deploying nuclear weapons or nuclear-powered warships, a legacy of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.