Schoff, James L

Summary
North Korea’s nuclear weapon test in October 2006 and the subsequent “debate” in Japan about whether or not to ponder its own nuclear future brought renewed attention to the subject of Japan and nuclear weapons. Pundits and policy makers in both the United States and Japan contemplated the implications of Pyongyang’s nuclear breakout, and many wondered if this marked the beginning of fundamental change in Japanese thinking on these issues. Just as North Korea’s long-range missile test over Japanese airspace in 1998 contributed significantly to Japan’s decision a few years later to embrace America’s missile defense (MD) development program, might the 2006 nuclear test eventually prove to be a similar watershed moment in Japanese defense policy? Would there be a rising tide of Japanese sentiment in favor of reexamining the three non-nuclear principles of non-possession, non-manufacture, and non-introduction?
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