Lawmakers split on including nuclear submarine study in security documents

Chinese nuclear-powered submarines in the South China Sea in 2018. Citing the Chinese navy's accelerating expansion into distant waters, a senior Japanese Self-Defense Forces official stressed nuclear submarines' advantage in terms of patrolling. | REUTERS

JIJI

Oct 13, 2026

Japan is considering including in its revised three key security-related documents plans to study and research the possibility of introducing a nuclear submarine.

Discussions have so far been led mainly by some eager politicians, and the purpose of the possible nuclear submarine introduction remains unclear.

Aiming to revise the three documents by year-end, the government is expected to kick off full-fledged coordination with the ruling parties soon on the update, but discussions regarding nuclear submarines may be bumpy, pundits say.

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