Supporting Usable Nuclear Weapons

The Japanese must have been too naïve that they could believe in a promise of a United States President to make the world without nuclear weapons. Turing down the policy of President Barack Obama, Donald Trump administration delivered Nuclear Posture Review which would introduce “usable” minor nuclear weapons. Resonant with Trump’s recognition that the world had become more dangerous, Shinzo Abe administration welcomed US policy change.

NPR 2018 is the first review of US nuclear policy, since Obama issued last one in 2010. It argues that “global threat conditions have worsened markedly since the most recent 2010 NPR, including increasingly explicit nuclear threats from potential adversaries,” in spite of US reduction of nuclear stockpiles by over 85% since the height of the Cold War. They are namely Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.

NPR 2018 realizes that Russia and China “have added new types of nuclear capabilities to their arsenals, increased the salience of nuclear forces in their strategies and plans, and engaged in increasingly aggressive behavior, including in outer space and cyber space.” “North Korea continues its illicit pursuit of nuclear weapons and missile capabilities in direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.” Iran “retains the technological capability and much of the capacity necessary to develop a nuclear weapon within one year of a decision to do so.”

Attributing to those nuclear developments of potential enemies, US announced development of low-yield nuclear warheads. “In the near-term, the United States will modify a small number of existing SLBM warheads to provide a low-yield option, and in the longer term, pursue a modern nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile,” QDR 2018 describes. It is nothing but US dismissal of Obama’s policy for the world without nuclear weapons.

Heavily relying on US nuclear umbrella, Japan positively supported new US nuclear policy. “It made clear the commitment of extended deterrence on our nation or other allies,” told Minister for Foreign Affair Taro Kono in his statement. Embracing a notion that it is not the time for eliminating nuclear weapons, Abe administration welcomes US getting back to obsolete nuclear deterrence.

The opposite parties in Japan were disappointed to US decision and Abe administration’s followership. “The policy change to make use of nuclear weapons easier is silly attempt that opposes the sentiment of nuclear sufferers in Japan or international trend of nuclear elimination,” told Secretary General of Japan Communist Party Akira Koike. The only government that severely suffered from atomic bombs supports usable nuclear weapons policy.