Сhinese envoy: Japan holds 44.4 tonnes of separated plutonium

Japan has accumulated about 44.4 tonnes of plutonium separated from spent nuclear fuel, an amount that, according to the Chinese side, would be sufficient to produce roughly 5,500 nuclear warheads.

Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhuai told TASS that the figure refers to separated plutonium held by Japan.

As of the end of 2024, Japan also held about 191 tonnes of unseparated plutonium, Zhang said.

The diplomat noted that Japan is the only state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that does not possess nuclear weapons but has the technology to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and extract plutonium.

"With the desire and the necessary capabilities, Japan's transformation into a nuclear power no longer looks like a fantasy," Zhang Hanhuai said.

At the same time, he stressed that the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" established in 1971 remain the foundation of the Japanese government's nuclear policy.

By Tamilla Hasanova