A 1965 request by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato for the U.S. to use its atomic weapons against China in the event of war between the Asian neighbors shows Sato's hopes for nuclear deterrence, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Monday.
Newly declassified diplomatic documents show that Sato asked Defense Secretary Robert McNamara for the United States to use its nuclear weapons in the event that Japan and China went to war.
Kawamura told a news conference it is his understanding that Sato emphasized that U.S. atomic weapons would work as a deterrent against nuclear attacks and threats against Japan.