politics

Why Japan doesn't sign nuclear arms ban treaty

21 Comments
By Mari Yamaguchi

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21 Comments
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Kono said Japan seeks to reach out to both sides in hopes of serving as a bridge and create a common ground where everyone can join for the shared goal of nuclear disarmament and abolition.

Gimme a break here! Stop the gibberish political mumbo-jumbo, you and your boss are hypocrites and continue to talk out of both sides of your mouths on this issue.

You want a nuclear free world? Fine take the step and sign the treaty. THAT would go a long way to showing the world that Japan truly is interested in a nuclear free world!

9 ( +12 / -3 )

Signing the treaty would drastically impact the relationship with the USA. If the USA cannot have nuclear ships in Japanese harbors or have them pass through Japanese waters, well ... that fundamentally changes the agreement currently in place.

Japan is free to do as they wish, but there will be world-wide political impacts, possibly where Japan would need to provide for her own defense.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

To be a hypocrite, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep

No more; and by a sleep, to say we end

the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks

that Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation

devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,

To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub,

for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,

when we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

must give us pause.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Oh that's easy, hypocrisy plus having ones cake and eating it too.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

America is more important than U.N. for Japan.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Because they are hypocrites, and that's all there is to it. You can't start off EVERY story about nuclear weapons from the Japan side with, "As the only nation to suffer an attack from nuclear weapons..." and somewhere along the lines end up with, "we refuse to sign a treaty that bans them" there is no other explanation. This "bridge between the two sides" nonsense is just that. What's really going on here is Japan wants the option for a nuclear arsenal to stay open -- they won't necessarily get them, although I believe they have all the components ready to be assembled at the call and beckon of the US. Meanwhile they can still cry victim and start off everything as the author of the article has, "Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic bomb attacks...". I'm not slamming her, by the way; she's just rehashing the line fed to us constantly by the government in an attempt to point out said hypocrisy.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

Japan has a motto to the world: No more Hiroshima!

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Why on Earth would Japan in their right mind sign such a treaty? To deliberately undermine their ironclad defense treaty with the US and the nuclear protection guarantee that it entails, especially in times like these, is so astonishingly stupid that it is close to treason. There's no way that would be signed in the near future and am glad it's not even up for discussion

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

The point of nuclear weapons for most countries is that they are much cheaper than conventional militaries. If the advanced democracies didn't have nukes (whether directly or through alliance with the US), they would have to build up their conventional forces to match any potential adversary.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Why some people here don't understand: "No more Hiroshima!" that means "No NUKE anywhere in the world!" And why the only portion of this Abe govt. and right-wing supporters to display subordination to USA all the time!? Check how many countries in South East Asia signed Nuclear Arms Ban Treaty? Most of them signed.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Typical of Japan. Playing the victim while being the aggressor.

If/when the constitution changes (through all this fear-mongering and snap elections), I'll bet Japan will be armed quicker than sweat breaks out in the train on a summer's day.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

AgentXToday 10:35 am JSTTypical of Japan. Playing the victim while being the aggressor.

Japan has a constitution that prohibits them from being the aggressor.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Japan could produce nukes in no time if it wanted to.

"While there are currently no known plans in Japan to produce nuclear weapons, it has been argued Japan has the technology, raw materials, and the capital to produce nuclear weapons within one year if necessary, and many analysts consider it a de factonuclear state for this reason. For this reason Japan is often said to be a "screwdriver's turn" away from possessing nuclear weapons, or to possess a "bomb in the basement""

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The anti-nuke people ought to be aware that we are in a world with nukes in the hands of madmen and dictators. Disarm Japan, de-nuke the US, and what do you get? Don't be naive. Making nuke bombs and missiles are today regarded as low tech. poor countries with enough population base can easily make them, as pakistan did in the 90s and China in the 70s, so nothing surprising now for NK to join the club. Why, any decent high school physics student know the basic principles. Total nuke free is a pipedream. All democratic countries with the means should have the bomb, as deterrence. It is hypocritical to want peace and security and stay under the US umbrella and free-ride, while chiding uncle sam.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

xin xin: "The anti-nuke people ought to be aware that we are in a world with nukes in the hands of madmen and dictators"

And Japan would be no different if it got them.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Nice of Thailand, Guyana and the Vatican to sign though. Pointless, but an example to everyone else whois never likely to have the resources to develope them!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

we have nukes, israel has nukes, saudi I'm not sure. everyone should stop.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Waste of time. If anything we can look forward to more states acquiring nukes. I wouldn't rule out South Korea and Australia for a start the way its going.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yeah I hear Japan really cares about what you all think....

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yeah I hear Japan really cares about what you all think....

It's important to voice our concerns. People do that when they love where they live, love and work. Yes, there are people who live here and would seem to be anti-Japanese but opposing the horrors of nuclear weaponry is common sense.

If that makes us pissed-off gaijins, so be it. We're not going anywhere; unlike those who advocate conflict from thousands of miles away.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan is secretive,,,, I wonder if Japan had been developing Nuke bombs secretly. Before N Korea began. Article 9 scrapping movement was started many years ago.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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