On December 25, the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun published a government document dated December 20 about Japan’s intention to develop small nuclear warheads.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki immediately refuted the report’s authenticity, saying, “The government does not know anything about the existence of the document.” Nevertheless, the question of a Japanese nuclear bomb remains open.
Using the North Korean threat as an excuse, the government is urging the nation to give up the constitution’s pacifist clauses, embark on the formation of powerful armed forces, put a legal stamp of approval on the right of the Japanese army and navy to participate in military operations in any part of the world together with the United States, and set up a government intelligence service modeled after the CIA.
Having endorsed, or rather initiated, the revision of the constitution’s pacifist articles, Washington is trying to make broader use of the Japanese armed forces in its military missions. Having met with reluctance on the part of its European allies to take part in its ventures, Americans have started looking to still-obedient Japan.
Changing constitutions back to the Dark Ages seems to be fashionable, nowadays. Along with the ever-popular non-denial denial.
If I was PM of Japan, I would want a nuke , since Japan is well within range of the NK missile arsenal. think about it this way – once NK gets a nuke-capable missile that can hit the US, can the Japanese continue to count on the US’s deterrent? In other words, if the North Koreans nuke Tokyo, will the US nuke Pyonyang, even if that means losing Seattle, Portland or San Francisco?
and more importantly, will the NK bat-sh*t government believe that the US would trade a US city to retaliate for a strike against Japan, and refrain from doing so.
I guess if the “what-if” argument hadn’t already been invented for lame debates, paranoid patriots would have had to come up with something new on their own.
not seattle, theres too many important (as in for the economy) corporations – microsoft, boeing, starbucks, etc
portland most likely
Japan should be worried, because there are still quite a few people in China and the Koreas who are angry at Japan for not dealing with /apologizing for the atrocities they committed during WW2.
I think you misspelled nuke-you-ler.
1. You dont need nukes with a good missle.
2. Its the Ports that will be main targets on west coast, THEN Major metro areas.
3. the US only wants something to make Mil weapons for, and a reason the SHOOT something, and stockpile the mil machine.
I don’t know Eideard…..if I’m Japan, and I’m looking around, I see China, a country we raped and pillaged 60 years ago growing into a super power, I see N.K….with Nukes and run by Mr. Squirrely, I see Iraq in chao’s and my American protectors bogged down and I see Afganistan in a slightly more controlled chao’s…..I’m probably thinking….I better not put all my rice cakes in one basket( American) and build me a damn Army.
Anybody remember a few years back when France shipped Japan a ship load of spent fuel rods containing enough plutonium to produce 30,000 nuclear bombs?
30,000 nuclear bombs… more like 60…. but hey… close enough, right?