nuclear-news

Japanese government’s snide move towards nuclear weapons

Japan’s nuclear ambition, Tokyo has only to strike out controversial phrase Korea Times, 23 June 12, The world has long regarded Japan as a virtual nuclear power. On Wednesday, Tokyo took its first step toward becoming a “real” one.

The upper house of Japan’s Diet passed an amendment to the country’s Atomic Energy Basic Law to allow the use of nuclear power for “national security,” according to the Tokyo Shimbun. The addition of these controversial words was made so furtively that not only the
Japanese public but even many Lower House lawmakers didn’t know about
it, other reports say.

Despite denials from the Japanese government, there should be little doubt about Tokyo’s intention — nuclear armament. The stealthy way the Japanese parliament handled the matter proves it.

Ultra-rightist Japanese politicians, including Tokyo Governor Shintaro
Ishihara, have long bragged about how the island nation can turn
itself into one of the largest nuclear powers in the world almost
overnight if it wants so, or as a U.S. paper put it, all this is just
“a screwdriver’s turn away.”

Japan has 30 tons of weapons-grade plutonium and 1,200-1,400 kilograms
of enriched uranium, enough to make 15,000 nuclear bombs like the one
dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Tokyo also has state-of-the-art rocket
technology for their long-distance delivery and spy satellites. In
short, Japan has the world’s third-largest nuclear power generation
capacity and is also the third-biggest military spender. What more
does it need? …..
The road to Japan’s possible nuclear armament would certainly not be
smooth. There must still be a far larger number of Japanese people, at
least we hope so, with the good sense not to let their leaders take
their country down a ruinous path. If Japan pursues atomic weapons
further, a domino effect regarding nuclear armament will sweep across
the region, including South Korea and Taiwan, not to mention
encouraging the self-delusionary regime in Pyongyang. Nor would the
United States sit idle watching its staunchest ally in Asia mess up
its global non-proliferation efforts, depriving Washington of leverage
to dissuade Iran and North Korea.

Tokyo says it has no intention of becoming a nuclear power and the
insertion of the dangerous-looking words actually expresses its will
for non-proliferation.

If so, the solution can’t be simpler: strike them from the amendment.
One action is better than a 1,000 words. It would be also easy to do
so in Japan with a parliamentary government, in which the
administrative and legislative branches are run by much the same
officials. Otherwise, Japan will be denying its value and status in
the international community as a model of pacifism, deceiving the
latter.

Seoul for its part must make clear its opposition to the Japanese move
and send an unequivocal warning against further proceedings. This is
not much to ask of the incumbent administration that has disappointed
people all too often with its spineless and clueless diplomatic team.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2012/06/202_113619.html

June 23, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, weapons and war