Russia Versus Ukraine War and Japanese Concerns
President Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict if NATO sends troops to Ukraine, although this has been seen as a bluff by many parties. By examining numerous factors, including: first, the deployment of nuclear weapons will result in an apocalypse. This is due to the awful perils of nuclear weapons. Nuclear bombs have only been used twice in history, at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945; picture how the development of nuclear weapons has progressed after 70 years. The second explanation is that Russia’s goal in invading Ukraine was not to acquire Ukrainian land and also change the social order there, but to shift to a non-NATO political system, hence the major objective was not civil society and public goods and services. Not just existing resources, but also leaders and government authorities. The last reason was a March speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who declared that while he did not believe in nuclear engagement in the Russia-Ukraine war, if the West was forced to interfere, Russia would not hesitate to deploy nuclear weapons.
Then, how does the RussoUkrainian Conflict affect the Japanese Nuclear?
The prospect of using nuclear weapons in battle will always remind the public of the horror of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki tragedy, which will be repeated; the Russian takeover of Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia, both of which are nuclear power facilities, adds to the global community’s terror.
With the growth of nuclear concerns in politics in the Russo-Ukrainian war, Japan, a symbol of nuclear threat, is reconsidering the existence of nuclear weapons in Japan. This fundamental premise is illogical, given that Japan is the only country to have been attacked by nuclear weapons twice, and Japanese civilians have been condemning the presence of nuclear weapons for at least the previous 77 years. However, Shinzo Abe, Japan’s long-serving prime minister, has urged rethinking nuclear power in Japan. In his opinion, it was appropriate for Japan to have nuclear weapons at this time for the protection of the Japanese state. Japan is contemplating nuclear power for two reasons:
1. Potential Threats from neighboring countries
In actuality, Japan is a small country in East Asia that shares borders with larger countries. The Japanese people is concerned that North Korea possesses an unanticipated nuclear weapon, and China is becoming more aggressive in every aspect; consequently, an independent striking force against China and North Korea is required. However, rather of developing nuclear weapons, Japan borrows them from the United States, allowing nuclear weapons to remain on Japanese soil. Remember that after the Cold War, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands retained US nuclear weapons on Japanese soil. If nukes are required one day, Japan may use them on behalf of the United States. Furthermore, Japan is a country that is susceptible to political intimidation.