Eye on China: Japan reopens taboo debate over nuclear-powered submarines

“We will seriously consider [the possibility] in a concrete and realistic manner,” Takaichi told the Japanese parliament on October 14.

Yet with Tokyo set to revise its core security documents by year’s end, the proposal is dividing the ruling coalition.

The Japan Innovation Party – the junior coalition partner – wants nuclear propulsion introduced quickly, while some lawmakers from Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party are asking whether the military benefits justify the high costs and legal hurdles.