Defense Minister Talks About the Necessity of Nuclear Submarines: Neighboring Countries All Have Nuclear Submarines

On Thursday, Japanese Defense Minister Shiozawa Shinjiro mentioned the necessity of introducing nuclear submarines in a program on TBS Television. He mentioned that U.S. President Trump approved South Korea's construction of a nuclear submarine and pointed out that "neighboring countries all have nuclear submarines."

Regarding the power source of submarines, Shiozawa Shinjiro said, "The surrounding environment has become so severe that we now have to discuss whether to continue using diesel power or nuclear power, as we have done so far."

Shiozawa Shinjiro also mentioned that during his visit to Malaysia at the beginning of this month, one country among the attendees of the ASEAN Plus Defense Ministers' Meeting expressed interest in Japan's used submarines. It is understood that Japan has about 20 submarines, but none are nuclear-powered.

In Seoul, South Korean government officials stated on Tuesday that the United States agreed to allow South Korea to obtain nuclear submarine fuel during the South Korea-U.S. summit meeting. It is expected that South Korea's self-built nuclear-powered submarine will be launched in the mid-to-late 2030s.

According to Yonhap News, on the same day, Kim Jong-dae, Director of the Resource Management Division of the South Korean Ministry of Defense, reported this at a State Council meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myung. He pointed out that South Korea and the United States have made progress in negotiations on the biggest problem in building a nuclear-powered submarine - the issue of fuel supply, creating favorable conditions for advancing the project.

Kim Jong-dae said that the South Korean government is currently working to master the core technologies required for building a nuclear submarine, such as reactors and weapon systems, and conducting safety verification work. In terms of conventional submarines, South Korea already has world-class design and construction capabilities. Considering various factors, South Korea can independently build a nuclear-powered submarine. If fuel is successfully obtained from the U.S. and the construction phase begins in the late 2020s, the first submarine is expected to be launched in the mid-to-late 2030s.

Additionally, South Korean Defense Minister An Kwi-bong attended a full committee meeting of the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Wednesday and stated that the nuclear-powered submarine the South Korean government announced would be built domestically. An Kwi-bong mentioned that up to now, South Korea and the United States have only communicated at a general principle level, and it has not been decided yet which shipyard in the U.S. or South Korea will build it.

Last December, Hanwha Group acquired the Philadelphia Shipyard, which symbolizes the South Korean-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation. U.S. President Trump mentioned when he recently "approved" South Korea's construction of a nuclear submarine that South Korea would build the nuclear submarine at the Philadelphia Shipyard in the U.S.

In Pyongyang, in March this year, North Korea displayed its claimed nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine, a weapon system that could pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S.

Source: rfi

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848054803528713/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.