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"GFJ Commentary"
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"GFJ Commentary" presents views of members and friends of GFJ on the relations of Japan with the rest of the world and other related international affairs. The view expressed herein is the author's own and should not be attributed to GFJ.
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No.66: Japan Should Hold and Secure "Potential Nuclear Capability"
By KATO Seiichi
former Attorney-at-law
On March 9, 2016, Otsu District Court made a provisional disposition to suspend operation of Units 3 and 4 of Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama Nuclear Power Station. This order not only possibly deviates from the legal precedent on Ikata Nuclear Power Plant operated by Shikoku Electric Power Company but threatens to exert a severe impact on Japan's energy policy at large thereby profoundly undermining its national strength and interest.
Above all, given the threat of China venturing maritime activities with its military might and of North Korea trumpeting its "possession of hydrogen bomb," it is especially vital for Japan's national security to resume operation of nuclear power plants with a view to holding and securing "potential nuclear capability," let alone securing stable supply of electricity.
In this sense, transference of 331 kilograms of high-grade plutonium (equivalent to 40 atomic bombs) from Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) located in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki, to the U.S., according to the Japan-U.S. summit agreement reached in 2014, or Prime Minister Abe's firm commitment to the U.S. government on the occasion of "The Nuclear Security Summit" held in Washington D.C. on April 1, that Japan should remove high-enrichment uranium from Kyoto University's Research Reactor institute, located in Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka are both highly detrimental to Japan's maintenance and assurance of its "potential nuclear capability."
These moves would only please China and North Korea. In making decisions which would exert critical influences upon Japan's national security, the Japanese government should take an extremely judicious approach with extreme discretion, taking into account the threats posed by China and North Korea and prioritizing Japan's safety and national interest.
In view of the fact that the Republican candidate Donald Trump who is keeping a lead in the presidential primary election, has stressed, backed by the public opinion in the U.S, that it could pull out U.S. troops from Japan and approve Japan's nuclear armament, it is all the more imperative for Japan to be prepared for autonomous national defense including consideration of "possessing self-defensive nuclear capability," instead of being totally dependent on U.S for its national security. In this regard, holding and securing "potential nuclear-capable" of Japan would be indispensable.
(This is the English translation of an article written by KATO Seiichi, former attorney-at-law, which originally appeared on the e-Forum "Giron-Hyakushutsu (Hundred Views in Full Perspective)" of GFJ on April 5, 2016, and was posted on "GFJ Commentary" as no.66 on April 12, 2016.)
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For more views and opinions in the backnumber of "GFJ Commentary," the latest of which are as follows, please refer to:
http://www.gfj.jp/e/e-letter/back_number.html
No.65: Terrorism causes prejudice and discrimination against Muslims - the collective responsibility of Muslims
by KURANISHI Masako, Political Scientist
(25 February 2016)
No.64: The presence of U.S. and Russia lent weight to G20
by KAWAKAMI Takashi, Professor, Takushoku University
(16 December 2015)
No.63: Prime Minister ABE Should Retract His Pledge to Mark "A Departure
from the Post-war Regime"
by TANIMOTO Taku, Corporate Staff
(31 October 2015)
No.62: Greece and Korea - Analogy of the two peninsulas
by KURANISHI Masako, Political Scientist
(31 August 2015)
No.61: Does the USA Assume Japan and China Agree to Reshelf the Senkaku
Issue?
by TSUMORI Shigeru, Professor Emeritus, Toyo Eiwa University
(29 June 2015)
No.60: Inherent Difficulties of Standing in "Middle of the Road"
by OGATA Rintaro, Member of the House of Representatives
(27 April 2015)
"GFJ Updates"
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"GFJ Updates" introduces to you the latest events, announcements and/or publications of GFJ.
Event
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Outline of Discussions of "The Japan-U.S. Dialogue" on "Evolving Japan-U.S. Alliance in a Turbulent Time of Transition"
The Global Forum of Japan (GFJ), under the co-sponsorship of Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University (INSS) and the Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR), organized the "Japan-US Dialogue" on "Evolving Japan-U.S. Alliance in a Turbulent Time of Transition: Sustaining the Open, Rules-Based Global Order" in Tokyo on March 2, 2016.
Lively discussions were held on such topics as "Mission of the Japan-U.S. Alliance in the Era of New Guidelines and Japan's New Security Legislation" and "Where Should the Two Allies Start?" in two sessions.
For the Outline of Discussions of this "Dialogue," please refer to;
http://www.gfj.jp/e/dialogue/20160302_ro.pdf
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