TOKYO, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada says if secret deals between Japan and the United States are revealed, Japan's anti-nuclear principles may change.
The Mainichi Daily News said Friday that Okada is concerned about a possible admission by the Japanese government on a reportedly secret agreement to allow nuclear-armed U.S. vessels to visit Japanese ports.
Okada said if the government was forced to admit the reported deal with the United States, the ramifications could affect the application of Japan's three non-nuclear principles, which focus on limiting the production and possession of nuclear arms along with preventing such weapons from entering Japanese territory.
The Foreign Ministry is conducting an internal investigation into reports of secret agreements between the two countries.
"If secret agreements are revealed, will we amend the three principles, or hold to them? These are questions for political debate," Okada told the Mainichi Daily News.
