TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida voiced grave concern Thursday over Russia’s possible use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“I am seriously concerned about the possibility of nuclear weapons being used” in Moscow’s war in the Eastern European nation, Kishida told a House of Councillors Cabinet Committee meeting.

Pointing out that Japan is the only atomic-bombed country, Kishida stressed that “there should never be the use of nuclear weapons or a threat to use them.”

To ensure Japan’s national security, he underscored the importance of beefing up its own defense capabilities as well as the Japan-U.S. alliance’s deterrent and response power by revising the national security strategy at the end of the year.

Extended deterrence by the United States is “essential,” Kishida noted.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin hinting at a possible nuclear attack “is an extremely dangerous move that could lead to the further destabilization” of the Ukraine situation.

JIJI Press