Japan Stresses Opposition to Iran’s Nuke Development

Jiji Press

13:12 JST, March 1, 2026

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan stressed its opposition to Iran’s nuclear weapons development program Sunday while indicating some understanding of U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran.

“Iran’s nuclear weapons development cannot be tolerated at all,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference in the small hours of Sunday.

Talks between the United States and Iran are “extremely important for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, and our country has strongly supported these discussions,” he said.

Underlining the significance of the nuclear nonproliferation regime, he said, “Iran should stop its development of nuclear weapons and its actions to destabilize the region.”

Kihara also observed, “Japan respects values and principles such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law as its basic stance.”

Meanwhile, he did not comment on the actions of the United States and Israel.