Peak Oil is You
Donate Bitcoins ;-) or Paypal :-)
Page added on February 18, 2014
Japan Secretly Developing Nuclear Weapons
Asia Weekly, a Hong Kong-based news outlet, is reporting that Japan is secretly developing a nuclear weapons program in response to increasing hostilities with China over the East China Sea dispute.
According to the report, paraphrased by the Want China Times, “With the capability to build at least 2,000 nuclear warheads, Japan has recently demanded the United States return 300 kilograms of plutonium. A Japanese military analyst told Yazhou Zhoukan that Washington has paid close attention to the potential development of nuclear weapons in Japan.”
Asia Weekly, known as Yazhou Zhoukan, is a popular Chinese-language platform with a 20 year publishing history.
The article notes that Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Toshiba all possess expertise in the area of nuclear energy and along with 200 other small companies could all be called upon to kickstart a nuclear weapons program. Japan already has over 40 tonnes of plutonium in its possession.
Influential voices like Major General Yoshiaki Yano of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force are also calling on Tokyo to adjust its nuclear policy.
The story arrives hot on the heels of reports that China is extremely concerned about Japan’s initial resistance at handing back weapons-grade plutonium to the United States which was bought back in the 1960′s for research purposes but has the potential to be turned into 50 nuclear bombs.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that within the next six years Japan would revise its pacifist constitution, which limits its military activities to self-defense.
Tensions over China’s declaration of an air defense zone over the disputed Senkaku Islands have continued to simmer, with three Chinese ships sailing through the region on Monday in another show of aggression.
A deluge of aggressive rhetoric has emerged out of official Communist Party organs in recent months directed against the United States, including discussion about China’s ability to attack U.S. military bases in the Western Pacific, as well as a lengthy editorial which appeared in Chinese state media explaining how the Chinese military’s current reformation process was part of a move by President Xi Jinping to prepare the People’s Liberation Army for war.
Last month, Chinese state media reported that Beijing’s new hypersonic missile vehicle is primarily designed to target U.S. aircraft carriers. Last year, China reportedly sunk a mock U.S. aircraft carrier utilizing the DF-21D anti-ship missile, dubbed the “carrier killer,” during a wargame which took place in the Gobi Desert.
13 Comments on "Japan Secretly Developing Nuclear Weapons"
Davy, Hermann, MO on Tue, 18th Feb 2014 10:09 pm
Nuclear winter anyone. That was my first thoughts. If India and Pakistan don’t initiate it then China and Japan will. Well that will solve the energy and population issues we all wrestle with here.
DC on Tue, 18th Feb 2014 10:46 pm
Infowars is a bit of dodgy source, but on this issue, they are essentially correct. The ABE regime, oddly enough referred to as ‘nationalist’, yet in reality, is firmly aligned with, and subservient to washington, is seeking to re-arm and remilitarize Japan. And his regimes seeks to place the forces of a re-armed and aggressive Japan at the disposal of the uS. The uS for its part-continues to Egg Japan on its manufactured ‘disputes’ with China in order to rationalize its ‘Asia Pivot’. The fact is Japan doesn’t need anyones help to develop nuclear weapons, certainly not the US. Still, the ABE regime is a the most war-like as any since WW2, and with a US patron eager to raise hostilities in every corner of the globe, concern is definitely warranted.
J-Gav on Tue, 18th Feb 2014 11:21 pm
We do know how them Asians love their fireworks, don’t we? But, euh, wasn’t it us, as in U.S., who’s been the only country to actually have used nukes? And essentially for no military reason but instead to make Joe Stalin shit his pants … If Japan goes through with it, this news is definitely not a good sign.
shortonoil on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 12:00 am
“Asia Weekly”, a “Hong Kong”-based news outlet, is reporting that Japan is secretly developing a nuclear weapons program
Looks like this batch of Beijing bureaucrats is getting out their war drums. If they are no smarter about this new toy than they were about their old economy, this little trinket could go off with a bang. 1.4 billion angry pheasants is an awful sight to see coming down one’s street! It would be pretty stupid to think that this is really going to APPEASE the masses, when the wheels start coming off.
Davy, Hermann, MO on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 12:35 am
@Gav – you trying to rewrite history to reality?! Yea, let’s face it how could the war pigs back then not want to kick ass and take names at the same time you show the bully across the street who is boss.
@shortonoil – well, you are right just another stunt stirring up the masses. Stupid islands, then exclusive zone of influence, then nuk program.
We can be sure a limited nuk war would cause the kind of disruption to our complex global system that would bring on a significant contraction if not collapse. Then the climate and radiation issues would finish it off. I have read Japan has been contemplating nuks since NK lobbed a rocket over Japan in what was in effect “flipping the bird” to US and Japan. This was all with China snickering and saying “What can we do?” China is the reason NK is a loose cannon yet, the Chinese are pissed about Japan persuing nuks. Sounds like double standards Asian style.
@DC – I like allot of what you say but your geopolitical cold war era description of events loses me. It is not because I am offended you slap the US around. The US needs some humility for past sins. I just think times have changed.
GregT on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 1:17 am
This just in:
Japan indicates US could bring nukes into its territory in case of emergency.
http://rt.com/news/japan-nuclear-weapons-security-133/
“Tokyo suggested that it would allow the US to bring nuclear weapons into Japanese territory in the event of a serious threat to its security.”
“Kishida’s comments come amid heightened tensions between Japan and China thanks to a heated territory dispute in the Pacific. Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Kishida to stress that the US will support Japan in the conflict.”
RICHARD RALPH ROEHL on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 1:18 am
Fuel forever trapped in the pool above the destroyed Fukushima nuclear reactor at Unit 4 more or less supports this hypothesis.
Makati1 on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 1:38 am
Gentlemen, I know some of you have put down my predictions of a nuclear war, but…
The last act of a dying empire is war, ans a big one. This time is no different, except, for the first time, we can kill all life on earth. There will be no new empire unless it is bacteria or virus.
There are so many cross currents in the world today that it will not be limited to two countries or even three. It will be a world war, and will probably start in a place not even on the radar today. I even read on fiction article in which Russia surprise nukes the US to try to prevent the US from nuking Russia with China supporting the attack with distractions.
So, all I can say is that we live in interesting and maybe the End Times. (No, I am NOT religious, but most everyone recognizes the name.) Are you prepared to make the journey down as easy as possible for you and yours?
Hugh Culliton on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 1:39 am
Tounge in cheek humour: if we go by the “China Syndrome” theory, then with Fukushima, hasn’t Japan already launched a first strike on China?
Makati1 on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 1:41 am
Sorry …”I even read one fiction article in which Russia surprise nukes the US to try to prevent the US from nuking Russia, with China supporting the attack by using distractions.”…
I have not had my first cup of coffee yet today.
DC on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 2:00 am
Sorry what? Abe is an enthusiastic promoter of Japanese remilitarization and behind him, is the United States. I am hardly the only one that has noticed the Neo-liberal ABE regimes war-like drift you know.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/22/319867/japan-pursuing-rearmament-policy/
This IW article of course, is rather foolish in that it suggests Japan ‘could’ build 2000 warheads. Sure they could, but why would they? What would they do with them? Would they solve Japan deficit problem, or put its neighbors at ease? Fix unemployment? I hardly think so, but that aside, a re-militarized Japan with conventional weapons under Us control would be very dangerous to what shakey world ‘peace’ we have now. Its just another flash point for everyone to have to keep on eye on. With the Us running around handing out matches and gas-o-line to terrorists and clients states alike. All in the hopes one of them will start a fire so big it rages out of control to engulf the entire world.
GregT on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 4:08 am
Meanwhile in Kiev………..
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-ukraine-protests-20140219,0,7859730.story#axzz2tjmcjtdi
“Moscow and Washington have accused each other of trying to influence Ukraine’s political future. The blame game took on new force Tuesday when a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official accused Washington of “puppeteering” on Ukraine’s political stage.
The United States is trying to impose a “Western vector of development” on Ukraine, ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told Russia Today television. He also accused two top U.S. diplomats — Victoria Nuland, who oversees European affairs at the State Department, and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt — of “casting” opposition figures for roles in the next government.
Nuland and Pyatt were clandestinely taped discussing whom from the Ukrainian opposition they would prefer to see enter the interim government that was reportedly in the making before Tuesday’s violent eruption.
Davy, Hermann, MO on Wed, 19th Feb 2014 3:56 pm
Guys, I am no expert on politics, history, and or cultures. I was a history lover in school. I have traveled the world. I could never stomach politics. All I can interject here is we will have a dying BAU status quo of cold war mentalities and the “great game” with the reality of a complex interconnect global world. The two do not mix. They will either cancel out or explode like a volatile mixture of chemicals. I am not sure we will make it to global nuk war. That requires resources. In general there is the understanding of mutually assured destruction. There is the understanding of nuclear winter from a limited exchange. The dangerous side to all this is the accidental and or a globally destructive plan. We know about the accidental. This is why the Taliban in Pakistan are so nerve wracking. Who knows what religious fanatics would do with nuks. This leads to a Dr. Strangelove scenario of lets end BAU status quo by clearing the earth of mankind and climbing out of our carefully constructed bunker. All the above issues are what is scary about human nature now. We as a species have developed the ability to kill ourselves. Maybe it is nature’s poison pill. This is what happens to complex intelligent life and that is suicide. I hope we can prove our ultimate action as a species as something higher than suicide.