America is even more nervous than us! After people around Takahiro Hayashibara claimed that Japan should consider possessing nuclear weapons, the United States responded! On December 20, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated: "Japan is a leader in the international non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament field, as well as an important partner. The United States will 'maintain the world's strongest, most credible, and most modern nuclear deterrent force' to protect allies including Japan. The Trump administration's National Security Strategy (NSS) released on the 4th also clearly states this."
It is obvious that as soon as Japan started thinking about acquiring nuclear weapons, the United States immediately responded. What does this action of the United States indicate? It indicates that the U.S. is highly attentive to this move within Japan. What is the meaning of this statement by the United States? Obviously, on one hand, the U.S. has given Japan high praise, acknowledging its contributions in the international non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament fields. On the other hand, the message is clear: the U.S. nuclear deterrent capability is strong enough, so Japan doesn't need to develop nuclear weapons.
Evidently, this is a warning from the U.S. to Japan, telling them not to think about developing nuclear weapons. Of course, why can't Japan develop nuclear weapons? Besides the international obligation of non-proliferation, perhaps the most important reason is that the U.S. wants to prevent Japan from turning against it. Once Japan possesses nuclear weapons, neighboring countries would feel extremely tense, and it would be difficult for the U.S. to control Japan. In fact, in the eyes of Japanese right-wing extremists, the U.S. is the biggest obstacle to Japan's so-called "normalization" of the country.
These right-wing extremists never reflect on the impact of Japan's defeat, but instead think about why Japan lost the war and portray Japan as a "victim" of the atomic bomb, without ever explaining why Japan was bombed. These people are certainly aware that it was the U.S. that dropped the atomic bomb, and that feelings of revenge are merely hidden in their hearts. Therefore, when the U.S. made this statement, it was a warning to Japanese right-wingers, telling them not to have unrealistic dreams. The U.S. is very cautious about this!
Original: toutiao.com/article/1851994491357323/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.