Japanese government officials are becoming increasingly perplexed by remarks by leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that he could pull the U.S. military out of Japan and allow Tokyo to develop nuclear weapons.

As Trump is becoming increasingly likely to win the Republican presidential nomination, the basics of U.S. foreign policies could become a point of contention in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Some critics say that Trump made the remarks only to attract public attention. As such, the Japanese government is to assess the development of the Republican race for the presidential nomination and his words and actions in the future.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump suggested the possibility of withdrawing the U.S. military from Japan unless Tokyo sharply boosts its financial contribution to hosting U.S. military facilities. He also said he is open to the idea of Japan developing nuclear weapons. A senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official expressed displeasure, saying, "They are not worth commenting on." But a senior Japanese government official said, "I think he made the remarks knowing what kind of comments will be covered (by the media)."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference on March 28, "Whoever becomes president, the Japan-U.S. alliance with the bilateral security arrangements at its core is the linchpin of our country's diplomacy." As for Trump's remarks on nuclear weapons, Suga said, "Because the three non-nuclear principles are important basic policies of the government, there will be no change in our stance to stick to them in the future."