Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda's comment on Japan's three nonnuclear principles caused political confusion at home and deepened misunderstanding abroad.
It was a serious blow to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration, which has been losing public support lately. The gaffe, by a leading administration official, resulted in erosion of international trust in "nonnuclear Japan."
In a background briefing for reporters May 31, Fukuda noted that there were growing calls for amending the pacifist Constitution and said if the international situation were to change, public opinion might favor a nuclear-armed Japan. Media reports said Fukuda suggested the possibility of changing Japan's three-point pledge not to manufacture, possess or allow the introduction of nuclear weapons on its soil.