Ministry flips basis for no-nuke claims

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2009/9/28

The Foreign Ministry has said a U.S. military ship scheduled to arrive at Kochi port next month will not have nuclear weapons aboard because it "is not capable of carrying" them, sources said.

The claim represents a significant departure from the ministry's long-standing position, which was that U.S. military ships were not bringing nuclear weapons into Japan as long as the United States had not sought prior consultation.

The change came after Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada ordered an investigation into a secret Japan-U.S. agreement, under which the United States could bring nuclear weapons into Japanese territory without prior consultation.

The ministry subsequently told the Kochi prefectural government that the USNS Safeguard, a rescue and salvage ship that will dock in Kochi in October, "is not capable of carrying nuclear weapons," sources said.(IHT/Asahi: September 28,2009)