TOKYO, March 1, 2022—Former Japanese prime minister, who publicly admits as a political hawk to join the nuclear arms club, Feb. 27 went a step forward in moving domestic debate on the topic proposing that Japan explore ‘nuclear sharing’ to enable the United States to freely locate nuclear weapons in Japan. His remarks were timed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and president Putin’s hints at deploying nuclear arms. Whether he discussed it with the United States could not be confirmed.
In a Sunday, Feb. 27 morning Fuji TV talk show, Abe said; ‘It should not be thought as taboo to debate the reality how the world peace is maintained (by nuclear weapons), even though Japan is a nuclear non-proliferation treaty signatory and (is restrained by) the three non-nuclear principles (not possessing nuclear weapons, not producing, not allowing from third parties)’ Abe rationalized his thinking in favor of nuclear sharing with the United States.
The current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, categorically at a parliamentary session Feb. 28 dismissed Abe’s comments as violating the three principles and Japan won’t consider it. But now that the topic is out in the public, it’s likely to be taken up in the media and elsewhere.
Nuclear sharing is a concept in NATO’s policy of nuclear deterrence, involving member countries that do not have nuclear weapons of their own to enable NATO to use the weapons. Those countries’ military can be engaged in delivering nuclear weapons in the event of their use.
Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey have bilateral nuclear sharing arrangements with the United States. France and the U.K., which have nuclear arms, are not involved in nuclear sharing with other NATO members. Together, NATO is understood to store several dozens of U.S. nuclear weapons in bunker storages. Sharing with Turkey is believed to have curtailed to nearly nil because of strained U.S.-Turkey relationships.
Abe and his hawkish politicians and right-wing business cronies have been increasing Japan’s rearmament rhetorics in recent years in lockstep with China’s global theater ascension and, in sharp contrast, Japan’s steady descent. Abe has not been as explicit as Feb. 27, limiting his nuclear ambitions to nuclear energy through the Japanese bureaucracy. (More in: Feb. 13, 2022 Prospect article)
###
Insight Into the Future