Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said such remarks would not only be extensively opposed by Japanese people but also arouse great concern among its near neighbors in Asia and among all peace-loving people in the world.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's right-hand man Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda admitted Monday he told reporters on Friday that Tokyo might one day abandon its decades-old non-nuclear policy.

"I made the remark with hopes that young journalists would start seriously thinking about the future," he told a press conference.

"The principles are just like the constitution. But in the face of calls to amend the constitution, the amendment of the principles is also likely," he said, according to Kyodo News agency.

"Japan does not have offensive arms (such as long-range missiles and atomic bombs) as it restricts its military activity to self-defence," Fukuda said.

He added, however, that Japan's defence-only policy does not mean Japan cannot possess such weapons.

Japan has so far adhered to its three non-nuclear principles, which include neither possessing, manufacturing nor allowing nuclear weapons on Japan's territory.

Kong Monday said that peace and development have become the main trend of the time and international efforts were promoting nuclear disarmament, pointing out that it is surprising for Japan to release such comments, which run against present international sentiments.

However, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Monday tried to calm the furor over the reported comments.

He reiterated that Japan will adhere to its three "no nuclear weapons" principles, Kyodo News reported.

"What has given rise to this controversy? I have said I have no plans to revise the principles," the premier told reporters at his office.

Nuclear weapons are the most sensitive issue in Japan. Japanese people are strongly against them. Since the nuclear accident in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1999, the country's most serious nuclear leakage accident, Japanese citizens have lost confidence in the nuclear industry and have asked the government to reduce or stop nuclear power plant construction.

On Saturday, an unidentified high-ranking official of the Republic of Korea reaffirmed that country's consistent stand against Japan's possession of nuclear weapons, saying that the nuclear arming of Japan would be "detrimental to security in the region."

(China Daily June 4, 2002)