By Yuri Kageyama
A contentious debate over nuclear power in Japan is bringing another question out of the shadows: Should Japan keep open the possibility of making nuclear weapons - even if only as an option?
It may seem surprising in the only country devastated by atomic bombs, particularly as it marks the 67th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki three days later. The Japanese government officially renounces nuclear weapons, and the vast majority of citizens oppose them.
But as Japan weighs whether to phase out nuclear power, some conservatives, including some influential politicians and thinkers, are becoming more vocal about their belief that Japan should have at least the ability to make nuclear weapons.
The two issues are intertwined because nuclear plants can develop the technology and produce the fuel needed for weaponry, as highlighted by concerns that Iran is advancing a nuclear power program to mask bomb development.
"Having nuclear plants shows to other nations that Japan can make nuclear weapons," former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba, now an opposition lawmaker, told The Associated Press.
Ishiba stressed that Japan isn't about to make nuclear weapons. But, he said, with nearby North Korea working on a weapons program, Japan needs to assert itself and say it can also make them - but is choosing not to do so.
Such views make opponents of nuclear weapons nervous.
"A group is starting to take a stand to assert the significance of nuclear plants as military technology, a view that had been submerged below the surface until now," says Fukushima Project, a book by several experts with anti-nuclear leanings.
Adding to their jitters, parliament amended the 1955 Atomic Energy Basic Law in June, adding "national security" to people's health and wealth as reasons for Japan's use of the technology.
"The recognition that both nuclear issues must be addressed is heightening in Japan," said Hitoshi Yoshioka, professor of social and cultural studies at Kyushu University. The link between the two is "becoming increasingly clear".
Yoshioka sits on a government panel investigating the nuclear disaster caused by the March 11 tsunami last year. The subsequent meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant have called into question the future of nuclear power in Japan, in turn raising concern among some bomb advocates.
Most proponents don't say, at least not publicly, that Japan should have nuclear weapons. Rather, they argue that just the ability to make them acts as a deterrent and gives Japan more diplomatic clout.
The issue dates to the 1960s. Historical documents released in the past two years show that the idea of a nuclear-armed Japan was long talked about behind-the-scenes, despite repeated denials by the government.
The papers were obtained by Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 2010 and more recently by The Associated Press under a public records request.
In a once-classified 1966 document, the government outlined how the threat of China going nuclear made it necessary for Japan to consider it too, though it concluded that the US nuclear umbrella made doing so unnecessary at the time.
In meeting minutes from 1964, 1966 and 1967, Japanese officials weigh the pros and cons of signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which would mean foregoing the nuclear option. Japan signed the treaty in 1970.
The government denials continued, even after former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone wrote in his 2004 memoirs that, as defence chief, he had ordered a secret study of Japan's nuclear arms capability in 1970. The study concluded it would take five years to develop nuclear weapons, but Nakasone said he decided they weren't needed, again because of US protection.
In 2010, the Democratic Party of Japan, after breaking the Liberal Democratic Party's half-century grip on power, reversed past denials and acknowledged the discussions had taken place.
Given the secretive past, former diplomat Tetsuya Endo and others are suspicious about the June amendment adding "national security" to the atomic energy law.
Backers of the amendment say it refers to protecting nuclear plants from terrorists. Opponents ask why the words aren't then "nuclear security", instead of "national security".
Japan has 45 tons of separated plutonium, enough for several Nagasaki-type bombs. Its overall plutonium stockpile of more than 150 tons is one of the world's largest, although much smaller than those of the US, Russia or Great Britain.
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, an outspoken conservative, has repeatedly said Japan should flaunt the bomb option to gain diplomatic clout. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed similar sentiments, although in more subdued terms.
The Yomiuri, the nation's largest newspaper, made a rare mention of the link between nuclear energy and the bomb in an editorial defending nuclear power last year, saying that Japan's plutonium stockpile "works diplomatically as a nuclear deterrent."
That kind of talk worries Tatsujiro Suzuki, vice chairman at the Japan Atomic Energy Commission, a government panel that shapes nuclear policy. Himself an opponent of proliferation, he said that having the bomb is a decades-old ambition for some politicians and bureaucrats.
"If people keep saying (nuclear energy) is for having nuclear weapons capability, that is not good," Suzuki said. "It's not wise. Technically it may be true, but it sends a very bad message to the international community."
AP
Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said Tuesday that Poland's economy is a model of small government and free enterprise that other nations should emulate, an unspoken criticism of President Barack Obama's policies in the wake of the worst recession in decades.
Wrapping up an overseas trip, the former Massachusetts governor said that "rather than heeding the false promise" of a government-dominated economy, Poland sought to stimulate innovation, attract investment, expand trade and live within its means" after the Communist era.
Shortly before ending his stumble-marred trip, Romney sought to minimize any damage from comments in Israel that sparked strong criticism from Palestinian leaders, saying his words had been mischaracterized.
In an interview with Fox News, he said he "did not speak about the Palestinian culture or the decisions made in their economy" when he told Jewish campaign donors that their own culture is part of the reason the Jewish state is more economically successful than areas where Palestinians live.
Romney also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw before flying home to the United States, and paid tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Poles who died in a World War II ghetto uprising against the Nazis. Both are traditional gestures for dignitaries visiting Poland.
His speech seemed an attempt to link his overseas trip to the campaign at home.
He said that in his talks on Monday, one unnamed Polish leader "shared with me an economic truth that has been lost on much of the world. `It is simple. You don't borrow what you cannot pay back,'" said Romney, who frequently criticizes Obama at home for the growth of the US debt in the past four years.
"The world should pay close attention to the transformation of Poland's economy," Romney said. "A march toward economic liberty and smaller government has meant a march toward higher living standards, a strong military that defends liberty at home and abroad, and an important and growing role on the international stage."
While holding up Poland as an economic example, Romney did not mention that the nation's unemployment is measured at 12.4 percent. Unemployment in the United States is 8.2 percent.
Romney did not mention Obama by name during his speech, but he frequently accuses the president of failing to understand the importance of the private economy and favoring government solutions to the nation's problems.
Romney resumes his campaign at home with appearances Thursday in Colorado.
His aides told reporters that despite any mistakes, the trip had been a success.
Already, they were eager to turn the campaign focus back to the race against Obama.
The campaign issued a statement from its headquarters in Boston noting that the announcement of Romney's selection of a vice presidential running mate is getting closer. It unveiled an app for smartphones that it said would "serve as the campaign's first official distribution channel" for the news.
Controversy accompanied the former Massachusetts governor in Poland as in previous stops in Britain and Israel, and comments he made earlier in the trip drew criticism from China.
Xinhua News Agency said Romney's "hawkish remarks" made in Jerusalem could worsen an already tense Mideast situation, or even re-ignite a war between Palestinians and Israelis.
Earlier this week, he declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, even though US policy holds that the city's designation is a matter for negotiations between the Jewish state and the Palestinians. He also sparked a charge of racism from Palestinians when he told donors that the strength of Israel's economy was due in part to the country's culture.
At his first stop, in London, he drew criticism from British political leaders when he appeared to question whether the nation was fully prepared for the Olympic Games, now underway.
The Republican presidential contender has been highly critical of China throughout his campaign, promising to challenge Beijing's growing influence in East Asia and get tougher with the communist government on its human rights record.
There was some tension between reporters and Romney aides as the campaign looked to Poland as a final opportunity to project the image of a leader ready to stand on the world's stage.
The two-day trip to Poland was aimed in part at building support among Polish-American and Catholic voters in the United States.
Poles generally have been skeptical of Obama's "reset" with Russia, and Romney has cited Polish concerns in his criticism of Obama. Some in Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic were upset by the Obama administration's decision to revise the Bush-era missile defense plan for Europe, which included sites in both countries.
In his speech, Romney said of Poland: "At every turn in our history, through wars and crises, through every change in the geopolitical map, we have met as friends and allies. That was true in America's Revolutionary War. It was true in the dark days of World War II. And it has been true in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Romney delivered his remarks in a deeply Roman Catholic country that for years has favored Republicans over Democrats. This is partly a legacy of President Ronald Reagan, whose efforts helped bring down communism across Eastern Europe, for which Poles remain grateful.
Poland has been a stalwart US ally and significant contributor to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Romney met earlier in the day with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. They discussed the longstanding ties between the two nations as well as the conflict in Afghanistan.
"On behalf of our countrymen, I express deep appreciation for your willingness to fight with us, to stand with us, and to be our friends in times of crisis and military conflict," Romney said.
"Poland has excellent ties with the United States, regardless of which American party is in power," Sikorski said. "We remember Ronald Reagan's warm feelings for Poland's Solidarity and also the fact that we joined (NATO) during Bill Clinton's term."
Romney also stopped to view a memorial to Pope John Paul II, who was born in Poland. He then met with President Bronislaw Komorowski.
The candidate ignored shouted questions from reporters about his comments on Israel and the Palestinians. Asked why Romney has taken just three questions from American reporters during the trip, traveling press secretary Rick Gorka said, "Shove it." He later called some journalists to apologize.
Romney's visit, campaign officials said, was at the invitation of Lech Walesa, the Polish labour leader who co-founded the Solidarity movement and served as the country's president during the country's transition out of communism.
Walesa effectively endorsed Romney when they met Monday.
But Solidarity, the organisation Walesa helped found more than two decades ago, characterized Romney as being hostile to unions and against labour rights. It emphasized that it had no role in organising the visit and expressed support for American labour organisations.
AP
source: newshub archive
