October 31, 2022

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The U.S. Biden administration on October 27 released the new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the basic document outlining its nuclear strategies, along with other strategic reviews including the National Defense Strategy. The U.S. in its new NPR shows its willingness to counter China and Russia with its first strike nuclear option.

The NPR, the first major strategic review under the Biden administration, affirms a continuing commitment to effective nuclear deterrence and strong extended deterrence. It emphasizes that strategic deterrence is the top-level defense propriety the U.S. administration pursues. It does not employ a no-first use declaration that President Joe Biden considered at one point, but maintains the posture to respond to conventional attacks against the United States with the use of nuclear forces. The development of sea-based cruise missiles which the former Trump administration promoted will be cancelled. However, the intent to modernize nuclear weapons and miniaturize submarine-launch nuclear ballistic missiles will be maintained. The U.S. adherence to nuclear deterrence is still crystal-clear.

The NPR focuses on a strong and credible nuclear deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. It hints at utilizing non-nuclear capabilities of U.S. allies and partners who support the nuclear deterrence policy. It cannot be overlooked that the U.S. is willing to drag its allies into a possible nuclear attack. Allied fighters may have to escort U.S. nuclear-strike aircraft like NATO nations do. If Japan's Self-Defense Forces participate in such an operation, Japan will become an accomplice of the U.S. nuclear first strike. This is totally impermissible for the only country to have suffered atomic bombings in war.

Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, however, said that he strongly supports the U.S. NPR and that Japan will further enhance the nuclear deterrence capability of the Japan-U.S. Alliance. Japan's dependence on U.S. nuclear deterrence or the so-called U.S. nuclear umbrella will take away the only atomic-bombed country's diplomatic power and will undermine the security of the country and the rest of Asia. Now that the world is facing a possible use of nuclear weapons, Japan should appeal to the international community that nuclear weapons are "absolute evils", and this is a lesson Japan learned from what Hiroshima and Nagasaki had experienced. Japan should join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons without delay and take a lead in the global effort to eliminate nuclear weapons.