Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui, the head of Osaka Ishin no Kai, has voiced support for a national debate on whether or not Japan should possess nuclear weapons.
"With the perfect right to collective self-defense, we should debate whether our troops can completely cover the needs of our own country," Matsui said during an informal meeting with reporters Tuesday at Osaka's prefectural office. "If we possess weapons, the ultimate weapon will become necessary."
The call for a national debate follows comments made by U.S. Republican presidential candidate and front-runner Donald Trump in an interview with The New York Times where he said he would be open to both Japan and South Korea possessing nuclear weapons and the U.S. withdrawing its forces from the two Asian countries.