Beijing, China - Nov 14, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Press briefing in progress
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman:
"China is seriously concerned over Japan's recent military and security moves. While Japan claims to be a peace-loving country and advocates a world free of nuclear weapons, Sanae Takaichi's authorities have been making ambiguous statements about the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and implying the possibility of quitting the principles. Japanese senior officials even claimed that Japan has not ruled out the possibility of possessing nuclear submarines. These fully reveal that Japan is making a major negative policy shift, which sends a dangerous signal to the international community."
3. Reporters
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman:
"During World War II, Japanese militarists' war of aggression and brutal crimes against humanity inflicted untold suffering on the region and beyond. In recent years, Japan has been drastically readjusting its security policy, increasing defense spending year after year, relaxing restrictions on arms export, seeking to develop offensive weapons, and going further down the wrong path of military buildup. Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made provocative remarks on Taiwan which imply the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait."
5. Reporters
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman:
"Owing to these moves by Japan, its neighboring countries in Asia and the international community have to strongly call into question and worry about: Has Japan truly made a clean break with militarism? Is Japan sincerely committed to the exclusively defense-oriented policy and the Three Non-Nuclear Principles? Will Japan still act on its commitment to peaceful development?"
7. Reporters
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman:
"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It is also the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan. We urge Japan to repent for its history of aggression, stick to the path of peaceful development, stop finding excuses for its military buildup, and take concrete actions to earn the trust from its Asian neighbors and the international community."
9. Reporters

China is seriously concerned over Japan's recent military and security moves, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a regular briefing in Beijing on Friday, while commenting on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's ambiguity on the country's defense and security policies.

Speaking in the National Diet this week, Takaichi avoided stating whether her administration adheres to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles -- "not to possess, produce or introduce nuclear weapons into territory" -- which Japanese administrations have followed for decades.

Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has publicly called for considering acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its new coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, on Thursday started talks on the amendment of Article 9 of the Constitution (Japan forever renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes) and on introducing an emergency clause.

"China is seriously concerned over Japan's recent military and security moves. While Japan claims to be a peace-loving country and advocates a world free of nuclear weapons, Sanae Takaichi's authorities have been making ambiguous statements about the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and implying the possibility of quitting the principles. Japanese senior officials even claimed that Japan has not ruled out the possibility of possessing nuclear submarines. These fully reveal that Japan is making a major negative policy shift, which sends a dangerous signal to the international community," said Lin.

"During World War II, Japanese militarists' war of aggression and brutal crimes against humanity inflicted untold suffering on the region and beyond. In recent years, Japan has been drastically readjusting its security policy, increasing defense spending year after year, relaxing restrictions on arms export, seeking to develop offensive weapons, and going further down the wrong path of military buildup. Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made provocative remarks on Taiwan which imply the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait," he said.

"Owing to these moves by Japan, its neighboring countries in Asia and the international community have to strongly call into question and worry about: Has Japan truly made a clean break with militarism? Is Japan sincerely committed to the exclusively defense-oriented policy and the Three Non-Nuclear Principles? Will Japan still act on its commitment to peaceful development?" Lin said.

"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It is also the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan. We urge Japan to repent for its history of aggression, stick to the path of peaceful development, stop finding excuses for its military buildup, and take concrete actions to earn the trust from its Asian neighbors and the international community," said the spokesman.