Abe says Japan will stick to non-nuke principles; Rice says Japan doesn't need to go nuclear

Japan does not plan to possess nuclear capability despite North Korea's reported nuclear test and its earlier missile test-fires, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday. Asked if Japan will uphold its "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" even if North Korea deploys nuclear missiles, Abe said, "I am not thinking of changing the principles at all."

Meanwhile, in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruled out Tuesday the possibility of Japan moving to develop nuclear weapons, saying she trusts Tokyo as a security partner. "Also, I don't think there's anybody that really thinks changing the nuclear balance in northeast Asia by having Japan go nuclear would improve the security situation," Rice said.