TOKYO, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Several non-governmental organizations in Japan issued a joint statement opposing the government's attempts to develop nuclear-powered submarines.
The joint statement released Tuesday recalled that Japan has long advocated the complete abolition of nuclear weapons and that the country's Atomic Energy Basic Law limits the use of nuclear energy to peaceful purposes only.
The statement stated that having nuclear-powered submarines would mean Japan rejecting its long-held position.
In a statement on its website, Peace Boat, one of the organizations that signed the declaration, stated that the proposals to acquire nuclear-powered submarines presented by members of the ruling coalition and the government's expert committees represent an extremely dangerous situation.
Pointing out that nuclear-powered submarines are designed for long-distance underwater operations and attacks, Peace Boat emphasized that having such vehicles would constitute a serious deviation from Japan's "purely defense-oriented policy".
Peace Boat noted that more than a dozen organizations signed the joint statement.
In a report submitted last September by an expert committee within the Japanese Ministry of Defense, a call was made to investigate the nuclear propulsion system for the country's new generation submarines.
Minister of Defense Koizumi Şinciro, in his speech at the Diet, stated that this issue should not be considered a taboo and is worth discussing.
The Japan Innovation Party, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, similarly called for the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines as soon as possible in June. These situations led to harsh reactions from various segments of Japanese society.