Japan has enough plutonium to make 5,500 nuclear warheads, PLA Daily says
China’s military mouthpiece claims Tokyo has ‘astonishing’ stockpile of nuclear materials and the tech to produce weapons
In a rare full-page report on Monday, PLA Daily claimed Japan possessed an “astonishing” stockpile of nuclear materials and that it had the technology to produce nuclear weapons.
It said 44.4 tonnes of plutonium had already been separated by the end of 2024 – enough to make about 5,500 nuclear warheads.
The report warned that once Japan had fully broken free from the constraints of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles – that it will not possess, produce or allow the introduction of nuclear weapons – it “could become a de facto nuclear-armed state in an extremely short period of time”.
It said Japan had worked “systematically” to cultivate its defence industry “under the cover of civilian technology” and that had laid the groundwork for “a strategic shift in defence policy and unleashing its military-industrial potential”.
Tokyo allocated a record 17.5 billion yen (US$109.6 million) to its advanced technology transition research programme in 2025 – 18 times the amount in 2022, aiming to convert civilian tech for military use, according to the report.
It said Japan’s defence ministry had set up the DARPA-style Defence Innovation Science and Technology Institute in 2024 and was encouraging more civilian firms to join military R&D.
PLA Daily on Monday said Japan’s “remilitarisation” had gone far beyond developing “defence-oriented” capabilities and that its pacifist constitution had been hollowed out, posing a serious threat to regional security.
“It has now entered a new phase characterised by the large-scale development of long-range offensive capabilities, marking Japan’s total departure from its post-war pacifist trajectory,” it said.
The report came after Beijing banned exports of commercial and military “dual-use” goods to Japan in January and blacklisted 20 Japanese entities in February.
According to the report, the sanctioned companies – which include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and IHI – played a role in Japanese aggression during World War II and were now “pioneering the rearmament of the country” and “potentially reviving militarism”.
It said that in the 2023 financial year alone, the value of contracts between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan’s defence ministry jumped by 4.6 times – with long-range missiles and navy vessels accounting for most of the orders.
The company has been building new manufacturing facilities and upgrading existing production lines, and plans to increase its defence-related workforce by 40 per cent in 2026, according to the report.
It said MHI had acquired key tech for stealth aircraft and ballistic missile defence systems through its cooperation with the United States on the production of F-35A fighter jets and SM-3 Block IIA missiles. It had also secured big foreign contracts including a US$6.8 billion deal to build warships for Australia and deliveries of Patriot missile systems to the US.
PLA Daily suggested Japan’s recent moves resembled the rise of militarism before World War II, and it would “further bind defence spending with the interests of specific industries and zaibatsu-style [wealthy clique] conglomerates, creating a self-reinforcing, accelerating feedback loop between policy and vested economic interests”.
“When the gears of the defence industry begin turning again for the revival of militarism, Japan’s war machine probably will be reignited,” it said.
Earlier this month, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also criticised China for lacking transparency regarding its “continued high level of defence spending” and expanding military capabilities.