Japan needs US nuclear weapons to counter China, North Korea

Tokyo – General Yoshihide Yoshida, the chief of the Joint Staff for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, warned that the conflict could be the first to harm Japan if a war breaks out in the Indo-Pacific region. He said that looking at the current defence preparedness, Japan cannot defend itself, and for this, Japan will have to develop its own arms manufacturing sector. General Yoshida noted that, until then, Japan would need US nuclear weapons to counter China and North Korea. At the same time, General Yoshida also said that Japan has much to learn from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Moreover, the Japanese government released a document a few days ago. Accordingly, defence spending required for Japan’s Defense Forces was significantly increased. It announced spending two per cent of Japan’s GDP on the military. Until a few years ago, Japan spent only one per cent of its GDP on its defence. Thus, China’s discomfort increased when Japan suddenly announced such a huge expenditure for its defence. Japan’s opposition leaders had also criticised the Kishida government for its aggression.

In such a situation, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces chief, General Yoshida, supported this increase in defence spending in an interview, citing an example of the conflict that started in Ukraine. General Yoshida highlighted that Ukraine’s military preparedness was falling short in conflict with Russia. Besides, he believes that Japan’s current defence preparedness was insufficient for self-defence and that the country would have to step it up.

Furthermore, General Yoshida noted that they would have to increase their defence preparedness so that no other country could underestimate Japan’s army. He added that for this, Japan would also have to consider military aggression, and the assistance of the United States and its allies would be necessary. In this, General Yoshida underlined the need for the US’s nuclear weapons for the security of Japan. In addition, General Yoshida stated the necessity to increase the scope of the nuclear umbrella provided by the United States to Japan.

Additionally, Japan has been discussing expanding the scope of the nuclear umbrella with the United States for the last ten years. Also, Yoshida recalled that during a meeting with the US a few weeks ago in June, Japan had agreed to extend the term of the nuclear umbrella agreement. He said this would enable the exchange of vital information, joint training and missile cooperation. However, China had objected to this cooperation between the United States and Japan.

Nonetheless, nuclear weapons attacked Japan during World War II. These attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 200,000 people. China had accused that despite this, Japan is trying to get more cooperation from the US for a nuclear umbrella and escalating regional tensions.

Responding to this, the Japanese general explained the importance of his country in the Indo-Pacific region. Moreover, Japan is the top country in this region, and in the future, when a war against China and North Korea begins, Japan will be the first to bear its brunt. In such a situation, General Yoshida has stated the need for US nuclear weapons to safeguard the rules-based international order in the region.

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