Japan's Takaichi Calls North Korea Nuclear State, Breaking From Official Policy

A sitting Japanese prime minister just said what her government has refused to acknowledge for nearly two decades. During a Monday TV appearance, Sanae Takaichi described North Korea as a "country owning nuclear weapons" alongside China and Russia—a stark departure from Japan's official position.

"The reality is that Japan has its homeland in a region where such countries are forging closer ties," Takaichi said on TV Asahi, emphasizing Tokyo's need to "strengthen its diplomacy." The comment represents the most explicit acknowledgment of North Korea's nuclear status by a Japanese leader to date.

Interestingly, Donald Trump has made similar remarks suggesting North Korea is a nuclear power, despite Washington's long-held position of not officially recognizing the country as a nuclear weapons state.

The Numbers Don't Lie

While diplomats debate terminology, the facts on the ground tell a different story. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, North Korea possessed approximately 50 nuclear warheads as of January 2025, with enough fissile material to produce up to 90 total.

This puts North Korea in the company of other de facto nuclear states like India, Israel, and Pakistan—countries that possess nuclear weapons outside the official framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which recognizes only five legitimate nuclear powers: the US, Russia, China, Britain, and France.

North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and has steadily expanded its capabilities since then, developing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and shorter-range weapons that put all of Japan within striking distance.

Pragmatism Over Principle

Takaichi's comments suggest Japan may be shifting from idealistic non-recognition to pragmatic acceptance. This isn't necessarily capitulation—it could be strategic realism.

For years, Japan has maintained the fiction that North Korea isn't a nuclear power while simultaneously investing billions in missile defense systems designed specifically to counter North Korean nuclear threats. The cognitive dissonance was becoming harder to maintain.

By acknowledging reality, Japan might be better positioned to craft effective deterrence strategies. You can't properly defend against a threat you refuse to officially recognize exists.

Regional Security Implications

This shift comes as North Korea, China, and Russia deepen their cooperation—a development that has profound implications for East Asian security. Japan finds itself increasingly isolated as the only major regional power without nuclear weapons, facing three nuclear-armed neighbors with increasingly aligned interests.

South Korea faces a similar predicament, and polls consistently show majority support among South Koreans for developing their own nuclear weapons. If Japan begins treating North Korean nuclear capabilities as a permanent fixture rather than a temporary aberration, it could accelerate nuclear proliferation discussions throughout the region.

The US alliance system in East Asia was built partly on the promise that American nuclear deterrence would protect allies like Japan and South Korea. But as regional threats multiply and American commitment faces periodic questions, some allies are reconsidering their options.

The Domino Question

Takaichi's acknowledgment raises uncomfortable questions about the future of non-proliferation efforts. If major powers begin accepting North Korea's nuclear status as legitimate, what message does that send to other would-be nuclear states?

Iran, for instance, has been carefully watching how the international community responds to North Korea's nuclear program. If the lesson is that nuclear weapons ultimately bring respect and recognition rather than isolation, the incentives for proliferation increase dramatically.

Yet the alternative—continuing to pretend North Korea doesn't have nuclear weapons while it demonstrably does—also has costs. It makes honest strategic planning difficult and may actually encourage more aggressive behavior from Pyongyang, which sees non-recognition as disrespect.