Japan is holding dozens of tons of plutonium, enough to make about 5,500 nuclear warheads, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an article sent to TASS news agency on August 20.
Another serious concern is Japan's nuclear potential. Japan is the only non-nuclear country participating in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that possesses technology for reprocessing used nuclear fuel and has the ability to extract weapons-grade plutonium," Mr. Zhang wrote.
According to the Ambassador, by the end of 2024, Japan had 44.4 tons of plutonium extracted from used nuclear fuel. "This amount is sufficient to make about 5,500 nuclear warheads. In addition, the country's used nuclear fuel storage facilities also contain an additional 191 tons of unextracted plutonium," he stated.
If Japan has the will and necessary capabilities, becoming a nuclear power is no longer like a pipe dream," Ambassador Zhang Hanhui emphasized.
However, the ambassador also reiterated that the non-nuclear principles, established in 1971, have remained the foundation of the Japanese government's nuclear policy since then.
