Constitution does not ban chemical, biological weapons: Japanese gov't

The Japanese governemnt said on Tuesday that the country's constitution does not ban chemical or biological weapons, triggering outrages among people.

In a response to a lawmaker's inquiry, the government said in a statement that the Article 9 of Japan's Constitution does not ban Japan from having minimum armed forces needed for self defense and thus does not specifically ban chemical or biological weapons if such weapons are within the minimum limits.

But the statement also noted that Japan will not use chemical or biological weapons as it has joined the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

The Japanese government has made a similar reply earlier this month on nuclear weapons, claiming that the Constitution does not necessarily ban Japan from owning or using nuclear weapons.

The government's interpretation of the constitution has caused outrages from many people.

"The Article 9 of Japan's Constitution vows to forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and gives up maintaining land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential," said Keiichirou Ichinose, lawyer and director of non-governmental research group "Information Center on Unit 731 and Germ War."

It was outrageous and intolerable that the government claimed that the Constitution allows using weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical or biological weapons, he said.

"Japan used chemical and biological weapons and caused many sufferings to the people in other Asian countries during WWII. Japan shall apologize and make compensations for its past wrongdoings instead of take any action that might trigger wars." he said.