https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_nuclear_weapons_program#De_facto_nuclear_state advises:
"On 29 March 2016, then-U.S. presidential candidate Donald
Trump suggested that Japan should develop its own nuclear weapons,
claiming that it was becoming too expensive for the US to continue to protect
Japan from countries such as China, North Korea, and Russia that already have
their own nuclear weapons.[50]
[endnote 50 is]
https://web.archive.org/web/20190611080231/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-japan-south-korea-might-need-nuclear-weapons/
"Donald Trump: Japan, South Korea might
need nuclear weapons
By Stephanie Condon
March 29, 2016 / CBS News
Republican
presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Tuesday night defended his assertion
that more countries, such as Japan, South Korea or even Saudi Arabia, may need
to develop their own nuclear weapons.
"You
have so many countries already -- China, Pakistan, you have so many countries,
Russia -- you have so many countries right now that have them," Trump said
in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin town hall televised by CNN. "Now, wouldn't you
rather, in a certain sense, have Japan have nuclear weapons when North Korea
has nuclear weapons?"
Trump said
that the United States spends too much money protecting countries like Japan
and Saudi Arabia, but "we can't afford to do it anymore."
CNN
moderator Anderson Cooper pointed out that it's been U.S. policy for decades to
prevent Japan from getting a nuclear weapon. Trump responded, "Maybe it's
going to have to be time to change, because so many people -- you have Pakistan
has it, you have China has it. You have so many other countries are now having
it."
Trump similarly
suggested that Japan and South Korea should develop nuclear weaponry
in an interview with the New York Times last week.
Following
Trump's remarks to the Times, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga
told reporters that his nation remains steadfastly against owning, making or
allowing nuclear weapons. He said this position will "remain an important
basic policy of the government."
Trump said
he's in favor of potentially seeing countries like Japan develop nuclear
weapons because "it's going to happen anyway."
"It's
only a question of time," he said. "They're going to start having
them or we have to get rid of them entirely.""
On 27 February 2022, former prime minister Shinzo Abe proposed that Japan should consider a nuclear sharing arrangement with the US similar to NATO.[51] This includes housing American nuclear weapons on Japanese soil for deterrence.[51] This plan comes in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[51][52] Many Japanese politicians consider Vladimir Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state to be a game changer.[52] "
6 comments:
Off topic, but something to take note of:
https://apnews.com/article/china-nuclear-aircraft-carrier-glance-8863fefa646e4a9d89c45d91c068696d
Thanks Gessler at 11/12/2024 3:57 PM
1. Particularly interesting words from https://apnews.com/article/china-nuclear-aircraft-carrier-glance-8863fefa646e4a9d89c45d91c068696d are:
"Middlebury researchers were initially investigating a mountain site outside the city of Leshan in the southwest Chinese province of Sichuan over suspicions that China was building a reactor to produce plutonium or tritium for weapons. Instead they said they determined that China was building a prototype reactor for a large warship.
The conclusion was based upon a wide variety of sources, including satellite images, project tenders, personnel files, and environmental impact studies."
Middlebury researchers having access to info sources like "project tenders, personnel files, and environmental impact studies" for a secret large ship reactor project sounds like the CIA might have passed such info to Middlebury.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_004_aircraft_carrier#Research is more confident China next carrier, the Type 004, will be reactor propelled. With novel reactor development. Explaining:
"In 2017, China's central government was reportedly ready to spend RMB 22 billion (US$3.3 billion) on the development of two prototype molten salt nuclear reactors to be built at Wuwei in Gansu province [near Sichuan province, mentioned above in 1.]. The goal then was to have the reactors operational by 2020. The PLA Navy is interested in the technology to power its warships and aircraft carriers.[10][needs update]"
Cheers Pete
And once Iran gets the bomb, Saudi Arabia will want one
too. And this is how we get nuclear proliferation.:
"Earlier this year, a senior Nato decision maker told
me that he had seen intelligence reporting that
nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of
Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery.
Last month Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli
military intelligence, told a conference in Sweden
that if Iran got the bomb, "the Saudis will not wait
one month. They already paid for the bomb, they
will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to
bring."
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24823846
Hi Anonymous at 11/13/2024 4:00 AM
True that the Saudis wouldn't wait a month. Saudi C-130s would immediately pick up the 50 or so nuclear warheads in Pakistan that were pre-purchased by the Saudis many years ago.
The US was fully aware of the Saudi-Pakistan nuclear deal as early as 1987. The US permitted China to sell the Saudis around 50 CSS-2 (DF-3A) ballistic missiles which had such an inaccurate CEP that they could only be designed for nuclear warheads.
For details see my 2007 article here https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2007/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Saudi_Strategic_Missile_Force#Delivery_systems
Cheers Pete
Looks like there will be a Block VIII for the Virginia class SSN:
"The Virginia-class attack submarine program will extend to an eighth block
before the Navy transitions to the next generation of attack submarines, the
director of Naval Reactors said Wednesday.
Speaking at the Naval Submarine League’s annual symposium, Adm. Bill
Houston said the service is planning for a Block VIII Virginia-class submarine
that will extend the program into the 2040s."
Source:
https://news.usni.org/2024/11/13/naval-reactors-virginia-class-will-extend-to-block-viii-ssnx-start-in-2040s
Hi Anonymous at 11/15/2024 10:32 AM
https://news.usni.org/2024/11/13/naval-reactors-virginia-class-will-extend-to-block-viii-ssnx-start-in-2040s
is big news - which I'll devote a future article to.
I interpret:
1. Virg building through to Virginia VIIIs is recognition transition to SSN(X)"Seawolf 2s" would slow down SSN production and be too expensive.
2. Accelerated Russian and Chinese SSN builds need to be countered with accelerated Virg SSN numbers - possibly up to 3 a year.
3. Also very significant (what I suspected) about Columbia production - where "the nuclear posture says at least 12 Columbia. And I think if you look at the threats around the world, there may be a need for more Columbias.”
I would say a high impetus is China's move from second rate-limited numbers SSN and SSBN production to high quality, higher numbers of SSNs and SSBNs production.
Also China may introduce an Ohio-like large SSGN-class.
Regards Pete
Post a Comment