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- Non-peaceful atom: Russia sees Japan's militarization with reliance on US nuclear weapons
Non-peaceful atom: Russia sees Japan's militarization with reliance on US nuclear weapons
Japan is being militarized with reliance on the use of US nuclear weapons, the Russian Embassy in Tokyo told Izvestia. It added that the country's political circles are now discussing the possibility of joining joint exercises with the United States on the use of nuclear weapons - similar to NATO's "nuclear missions". Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has, among other things, allowed for the creation of a regional version of the North Atlantic Alliance, the deployment and "joint possession" of U.S. weapons in Asia, and the revision of Japan's three non-nuclear principles. In addition, Washington and Tokyo have recently formulated the basic principles of extended deterrence. At the same time, strengthening Japan-U.S. cooperation is a challenge to Russia's security on its Far Eastern borders. Izvestia investigated whether to expect a change in Tokyo's national policy.
Japan's militarization is accelerating
Japan has not had its own nuclear program since World War II for obvious reasons. Given the tragic events related to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US Armed Forces, the creation of nuclear weapons on the territory of the country is still considered taboo. Demilitarization of Japan by the US has led Tokyo to abandon research in this area. In addition, the country participates in the treaty on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (NPT).
The NPT is a multilateral international act developed by the UN disarmament committee and aimed at preventing the expansion of the number of states possessing nuclear weapons. Signed in 1968, the NPT legalized the nuclear arsenals of Great Britain, China, USSR, USA and France. Other signatory states are deprived of the right to create or acquire weapons of mass destruction. There are 191 states parties to the treaty, with the exception of Israel, India, Pakistan, DPRK and South Sudan. In January 2003, the DPRK withdrew from the agreement.
However, it is impossible to say that modern Japan has nothing to do with nuclear weapons. At least because Tokyo is Washington's main Asian ally, and this imposes certain security obligations on the United States. We are talking about extended deterrence or, simply put, the nuclear umbrella. This means that the US is ready to defend its ally by any means, including nuclear weapons. Such commitments are believed to apply to Japan, South Korea and NATO allies. In the context of U.S.-Japan relations, such cooperation appears to be developing particularly rapidly.
- For decades, official Tokyo has positioned itself as the only country to have suffered from atomic bombings and has declared its adherence to the so-called three nuclear-free principles: not to possess, produce, or deploy nuclear weapons on its territory. However, while paying lip service to the noble goal of building a nuclear-free world and attributing leadership in this movement to itself, Japan is openly pursuing a course of accelerated militarization with reliance on "extended deterrence," including the use of U.S. nuclear weapons," the Russian Embassy in Japan told Izvestia.
Just recently, a small step in this direction was taken. On December 26, the governments of Japan and the United States formulated the basic principles of extended deterrence. Their content, however, was not disclosed. The foreign ministries of both countries merely noted that the alliance faces an increasingly serious nuclear threat and that the measures taken are necessary for regional stability and conflict prevention. The report on maximizing deterrence, backed by Japan's defense capabilities, does not provide more clarity, but rather the opposite. Earlier, the local newspaper Yomiuri, citing sources, wrote that the document should define exactly in which situations Washington should defend the ally.
- Another manifestation of Tokyo's ambivalent line is the discussion launched by prominent representatives of the political establishment about an eventual revision of the three non-nuclear principles and the possibility of joining joint training sessions with the United States on the use of this type of weapons similar to NATO's "nuclear missions," the Russian diplomatic mission in Tokyo added.
The nuclear-free principles were approved by the parliament in 1971, but never received the force of law, although all prime ministers of the country in one form or another confirm them. The essence of NATO's "nuclear missions" is to work out the delivery and use of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe. For this purpose, carrier aircraft will be used, among other things. Another exercise called Steadfast Noon took place in October.
Whether an "Asian NATO" will be created
Against the background of the apparent strengthening of military cooperation between Japan and the United States, it is worth paying attention to the personality of the Asian country's prime minister. Shigeru Ishiba, 67, is a veteran of Japanese politics. The last election of the chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was the fifth and, according to the politician's own assurances, the last one for him. Thus, there is no denying the persistence and perseverance of the current head of state. In addition, Ishiba has held very solid and very specialized positions: he was twice Minister of Defense, while paying much attention to international politics, which is atypical for Japanese officials. Traditionally, the focus has been on the domestic agenda. In recent years, only Shinzo Abe, who has built friendly relations with Russia, among others, has stood out in this regard.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba
Ishiba, on the other hand, is in favor of strengthening the military alliance with the United States and has repeatedly spoken in favor of the creation of the so-called Asian NATO. The politician justified the need for a new alliance by the threat from China, North Korea and Russia. During the election campaign, he suggested discussing the prospect of deploying U.S. nuclear weapons in Asia and "joint possession" of them. After becoming prime minister, he clarified that he did not mean ownership or control over nuclear weapons, but only the decision-making process.
- Full-fledged, collective, multilateral military blocs may not have been formed yet, but the trend is generally visible, and here, of course, we are on opposite sides of the barricades: with Japan and America. This is a certain challenge for Russia - the strengthening of Japanese-American cooperation on our Far Eastern borders. However, it is too early to talk about a direct threat to Russia," said Dmitry Streltsov, an expert of the Valdai Club and head of the Oriental Studies Department at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Japan considers China to be the main threat in the region. The Chinese Defense Ministry urged the Japanese side to stop forming exclusive military alliances and cliques, be careful in their words and do more for regional peace and stability. India's foreign ministry, even though New Delhi and Tokyo, along with Washington and Canberra, participate in the QUAD quadrilateral security dialog on security, mildly noted that they do not have "such a strategic architecture" in mind because of their different approaches to peace.
Hiroshima after the atomic bombing in 1945
By the way, Isiba's nuclear rhetoric has caused discontent not only in the international arena but also domestically, including among national security experts and government officials. His initiatives have particularly angered those who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "The very fact that a high-ranking politician is saying this makes me angry," said Terumi Tanaka, 92, a committee member of Japan's atomic bomb survivors' association, Hidankyo, which, incidentally, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. The organization believes that the importation of nuclear weapons from the United States and their separation (Ishiba's words were interpreted in this way) means that at Washington's behest, they can be launched and used.
"In this way, a country that has been bombed can become a country that harms others. This is really unacceptable to us," said Hidankyo deputy secretary-general Masako Wada.
- The idea of an "Asian NATO" was very negatively received in Japan, as was the idea of sharing nuclear weapons and generally any dilution of these non-nuclear principles. Besides, the LDP suffered a very serious setback in the parliamentary elections to the lower house, so Ishiba has no political resources to push through such a sensitive issue," Vladimir Nelidov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained to Izvestia.
In this regard, the departure from non-nuclear principles is hardly being actively discussed in Japan now, so we should not expect a rapid change of national policy in this matter, the expert believes. On the other hand, as Nelidov noted, there were discussions about Japan's nuclearization under Shinzo Abe.
