The Biggest Reason Why Japan Cannot Go Nuclear

There are strong arguments for South Korea to attain nuclear weapons in the face of growing threats posed by North Korea’s unstoppable nuclear and missile development. Reflecting their “nuclear allergy,” 61 percent of respondents said in an opinion survey conducted last year that Japan should join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which came into force in January 2021. Third, the impact on its international relations would be quite explosive, especially with the United States opposing South Korea’s nuclear armament, let alone Japan’s. Then, what can Japan do to cope with a worsening security environment in which Russia and North Korea are issuing direct threats to use tactical nuclear weapons and China expanding its nuclear arsenal? However, Kishida flatly rejected the idea, replying that nuclear sharing “is unacceptable given our country’s relevance to the legal system such as the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, and the government is not considering discussing it.” Kishida, elected from a Hiroshima constituency, has actively advocated for nuclear disarmament to realize a “world without nuclear weapons.” That said, Japan's only realistic policy is to continue to rely on the United States’ “nuclear umbrella” of deterrence.