By Mira Rapp-Hooper
Japan is the only country on earth to have had nuclear weapons used against its people, and the population has historically been highly opposed to the use of nuclear energy for military purposes. In 1967, Prime Minister Eisaku Sato made this opposition official when he declared Japan’s Three Non-nuclear Principles: The country would not produce, possess or allow nuclear weapons on Japanese territory. Japan has maintained a sophisticated civilian nuclear infrastructure, and despite its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) membership, it is believed that Japan could build nuclear weapons quickly if it chose to do so.
But it is highly unlikely that Japan will seek its own nuclear arsenal in the foreseeable future. Beyond public opposition to nuclear weapons, which has only increased since the Fukushima disaster, Japan does not yet have reason to believe it needs an independent deterrent. The U.S.-Japan military alliance has strengthened with the passing decades and has proven highly responsive to Japanese security concerns. On several occasions, Japan has reassessed its non-nuclear status, and has always concluded that the U.S. security guarantee is a superior option. There is little reason to believe that Japan will rethink its commitment to that alliance now.
Read the full story at The Diplomat