Japan could exploit the US Asian-Pacific strategy to acquire nukes. Some Japanese politicians are calling the US to share nuclear weapons with Japan to deter both China and Russia, two nuclear powers.
The Hiroshima forgotten traumatism
The US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War 2 seem to be a forgotten traumatism in post-Fukushima disaster Japan. The issue of nuclear weapons and even nuclear war are no more a taboo in postwar Japan. In a joint statement issued on 23 May 2022, Japan and the United States reaffirmed the critical importance of ensuring “that the United States extended deterrence remains credible and sustainable. They stressed the importance of intensifying bilateral discussions on extended deterrence”
The short term objective of the current Japanese elites is to grant US nuclear weapons bases on Japan soil before acquiring these weapons to achieve a strategic balance with China and Russia. In other words, Japan is seeking to be a nuclear armed power using the US strategic concerns in its strife for global hegemony. In this scenario, a future nuclear armed Japan could say No to Washington following its own strategy for the first time since 1946.
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