By That is the question being asked over at the Marmot’s Hole in regards to this video interview with Charles Krauthammer:
This is actually something I have heard before other than from Charles Krauthammer and the problem I see with this analysis is that it assumes that the people in Japan want to go nuclear. From my experience talking with Japanese people I think it is a stretch to say they want nuclear weapons. I think the government would have a hard time changing its constitution to allow the JSDF to conduct offensive operations much less pursue nuclear arms. So this suggestion seems like wishful thinking to me.
As far as South Korea though pursuing their own nuclear deterrent now that is a different story. So what does everyone else think?
7:54 am on May 28th, 2009 1
Did he say "It's a threat to South…Korea?" I think it was a mix-up, but that is how many in South Korea would feel if Japan went nuclear. When I talk to my students about the NK issue, many of them turn it into a rant about how dangerous Japan could be. The older generation is always going to have a hard time viewing Japan as an ally and if they were nuclear it would present many problems on the peninsula.
8:07 am on May 28th, 2009 2
Allowing Japan to have nukes would be incredibly destablilizing. South Korean and China would go freaking nuts.
On the other hand, if you want to get North Korea in line there is another approach. Threaten China that if they don't reign in the norKs then we will sell missile defense to South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. That'll surely motivate the Chinese to do something about Kim Jong Il… or whoever the hell is really in charge there.
Marcus
8:17 am on May 28th, 2009 3
I would feel more comfortable with Japan having nukes than South Korea…
8:55 am on May 28th, 2009 4
By having a nuclear Japan, the US can effectively withdraw from S Korea, leaving N Korea and China to be an Asia problem. I think this a great idea. Japan is a trusted ally, unlike S Korea, who is only an ally when the spirit moves them, and Japan has the economic backing to pull this off. Sure, S Korea will whimper a bit, but in the end, they really don't have the where-with-all to do much about it.
8:59 am on May 28th, 2009 5
I would love to see Japan go nuclear, because that would be the perfect excuse for Korea to go nuclear as well.
10:01 am on May 28th, 2009 6
Not only do I think Japan should go nuclear, I think South Korea should too. Plus both presidents should get a bouffant hairdo.
12:06 pm on May 28th, 2009 7
Only registering a comment to listen to the ideas of others. I find the idea interesting, yet I don't think I'm for any more nuclear proliferation. You comment, I'll try to keep an open mind.
12:36 pm on May 28th, 2009 8
really? I thougt the post WWII goal was to have less countries with nukes?
Should we just arm the entire world with nukes? If Japan gets then I think it would give Iran more of a claim to have them as well.
1:00 pm on May 28th, 2009 9
Many of you commenters are making the assumption that Japan wants to have nuclear weapons. Can anyone show me anything that shows Japan wants nuclear weapons?
There is plenty evidence of Japan wanting to improve their offensive first strike capabilities which I think even that would have a huge constitutional fight to accomplish, but I see no indications that the Japanese people would support arming themselves with nukes.
1:03 pm on May 28th, 2009 10
I think the ROK already has the perfect excuse to go nuclear considering the threat up North, but it would be a huge fight within the country with the NK fifth column in the ROK still able to cause trouble. So right now pursuing nukes wouldn't be worth the trouble especially with the ROK protected by the US nuclear umbrella and defense commitments.
Now if Japan did get nukes then the Korean left would have no political argument to stop the government from pursuing nuclear weapons. However like I have said before I seriously doubt Japan will pursue nukes.
1:07 pm on May 28th, 2009 11
Taiwan already has PATRIOT missiles and we could sell them other advanced missile defense systems but China has so many cruise missiles and TBM's pointed at Taiwan there is no way they could shoot them all down. China can produce TBM and cruise missiles that can hit Taiwan much more cheaply then Taiwan can buy interceptors to shoot them down. Thus China no matter what we sell to Taiwan will still have a strategic advantage.
1:09 pm on May 28th, 2009 12
Do not allow Japan or S Korea to become nuclear. Do everything we can to deter N. Korea and any other country that is not currently nuclear. BTY S. Korea has been a better ally than Japan with their support of the US in Vietnam and Iraq. Also, they have never conducted a sneak attack on US forces.
1:44 pm on May 28th, 2009 13
Vietnam yes. Iraq no. Afghanistan… South Korea has hurt the effort there.
Japan would be a far better ally if their constitution allowed it. Japan doesn't need nukes anyway, they have all those anime gundams and shit that they just haven't publically revealed.
1:45 pm on May 28th, 2009 14
You're all assuming that South Korea doesn't have nuclear weapons. Did even it occur to you that it might have some?
12:04 am on May 29th, 2009 15
In Korean’s mind NK’s nukes is a strategic problem that has to be settled with USA assistance, but a possible Japan’s nuke issue will be an emotional problem that SK will try to solve by itself. The same principle applies to Japan.
If Obama wants to see the region going crazy just give nuke to one of them.
Obama could use the nuke card with SK or Japan to threaten China to tame NK.
Nuke party !!!!
Now, I agree with you that despite of some politicians claim, Japanese people would not support a nuclear Japan.
12:06 am on May 29th, 2009 16
I seriously doubt it.
There is not way Korea could create nukes secretly.