Japan may break its half-century-old policy of pacifism by acquiring nuclear weapons; Prime Min Junichiro Koizumi's top aide, Yasuo Fukuda, tells reporters that country's three non-nuclear principles could soon come under review; week earlier another senior official, Shinzo Abe, said publicly that Japan could legally possess nuclear weapons, so long as they are 'small'; Koizumi government has hard time convincing public that Fukuda's comment was gaffe, coming so soon after Abe's remarks; Japan is known to be alarmed by rising power of China and anxious about effectiveness of security guarantees from United States (M)

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/09/world/taboo-against-nuclear-arms-is-being-challenged-in-japan.html