The Foreign Ministry will acknowledge that while there is a secret agreement that allows U.S. nuclear weapons to pass through Japan, it is no longer in effect because such stopovers are no longer made, ministry sources said Tuesday.
The announcement will be made as early as January, following an in-house investigation by the ministry into secret pacts with the United States on nuclear arms and other issues.
It has been alleged that under the secret deal signed in 1960, Japan agreed to allow stopovers by nuclear-armed ships and planes without prior consultation. Under the comprehensive bilateral security treaty, Washington is required to consult with Tokyo before bringing nuclear weapons into Japan.
The secret pact would contradict Japan's three principles of not possessing, producing or permitting nuclear weapons on its territory, which were first declared in 1967 by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato.
The administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has declared it will adhere to the three principles.
While the existence of the pact has been virtually confirmed by declassified U.S. documents and the testimony of people involved in the issue, past administrations have consistently denied it, saying, "Nuclear arms have not been brought into Japan as the United States has not requested prior consultations."
Following the launch of the Democratic Party of Japan-led government in September, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada ordered the ministry to re-examine the issue by setting up the investigation team.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned during talks with Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa in Tokyo in October that the probe should not be allowed to damage bilateral relations or undermine U.S. nuclear deterrence.