Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has hinted at a change in the country's decades-old nuclear weapons doctrine, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The agency notes that this has sparked speculation that she may try to lift the ban on such weapons being stationed on Japanese territory.
The country has long pledged not to possess, develop or stockpile nuclear weapons. However, the Prime Minister told parliament on Monday that she could not confirm that these principles would be retained in the national security strategy, which is due to be revised.
Her previous statements and her refusal to reaffirm the 1967 commitment of Japanese governments to this doctrine have raised speculation that she may seek to revise the third principle, which prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on the country's territory, Reuters reports.
Takaichi has also previously criticized the policy prohibiting the possession of nuclear weapons. In a book published last year, before she became prime minister, she called the principle unrealistic, as the United States might have to station nuclear weapons in Japan to deter potential adversaries.
Japan, like another country in the region, South Korea, is protected under Washington's so-called nuclear umbrella.
A Reuters investigation published in August found that there was growing political and public readiness in the country to soften that commitment, even though the topic remains taboo in the only country to have survived atomic bombings.
Some lawmakers from Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party have said the United States should be allowed to station nuclear weapons in Japan (on submarines or other platforms) to strengthen deterrence at a time when China is expanding its nuclear arsenal.
Her new coalition partner, the Japan Restoration Party, also known as the Nippon Ishin has also previously called for a review of the three principles.
Anti-nuclear groups in Japan, however, are strongly opposed to such moves, saying Tokyo has a moral duty to oppose nuclear weapons, including their presence on Japanese soil, because of the horrific consequences of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
But as memories of those events fade 80 years ago and regional threats intensify, public opinion polls show growing acceptance of the idea of discussing alternative nuclear options.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to clarify Takaichi's position when asked at a regular news conference today, saying the government "is refraining from any speculation at this stage."