China on Monday urged the Japanese authorities not to defy public opinion or persist in what it described as a dangerous push toward remilitarization and nuclear armament.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the remarks at a regular news conference after a reporter noted that 82 local assemblies in Japan, including those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, had reportedly submitted statements to the central government or the Diet calling for the country's Three Non-Nuclear Principles to be upheld or written into law.
The Japan Innovation Party, a member of the governing coalition, had earlier recommended that the government discuss revising the principles, according to the reports.
Lin said the strong calls from Japanese local assemblies reflected the public's desire for peace and showed that moves by Japanese authorities to depart from its pacifist Constitution and accelerate remilitarization were deeply unpopular.
"The Japanese authorities must not act willfully on the nuclear issue or go against the tide of history," he said.
