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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 10, 2002

Don't Regard Politician's Clamor as Ravings, How Far Japan Is Away From Nuke

Japanese Liberal Party chief Ichiro Ozawa openly threatened on April 6 that Japan could make thousands of nuclear weapons "overnight" to curb China's "excessive expansion". Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue sternly pointed out on April 8: Ozawa's remarks were provocative, typically reflecting an outdated Cold War mentality. However, this wildly arrogant Japanese might have spoken out Japan's real nuclear potential-Japan is fully capable of making nuclear weapons overnight enough to destroy the entire world.


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Politician's Frequent Clamor to Wave Nuclear Big Stick
The Japan Times gives thorough disclosure of the background against which Ozawa made the remarks. Ozawa brazenly attacked China at a seminar held in Fukuoka on April 6: "In the event of China's excessive expansion, Japan would make nuclear weapons to 'curb' China; the plutonium of Japan's nuclear power plant can fully turn out more than 4,000 nuclear warheads, we'll not lose to China in terms of military strength!"

Ozawa is not the first Japanese politician who clamors to wave the nuclear big stick: On June 17, 1994, the then Japanese Prime Minister Hata Tsutomu openly told reporters: "Japan does have the ability to possess nuclear weapons." In March 1995, well-known Japanese magazine, Hoseki Gem, revealed that while accepting the interview by the magazine's correspondent, a senior Japanese government official said: "Japan can produce atom bomb within 183 days!" In July 2001, Japan set up a special nuclear detachment in the National Self-defense Corps on the pretext of protecting nuclear safety.

This means Japanese politician is telling the truth.

Japan's Promise to Abide by "Nuclear-related Three-No Principles"
After War World II, Japan's Constitution forbids Japan to possess nuclear weapons, beginning in 1956 the Japanese government declared that it would abide by the "nuclear-related three-no principles", i.e., forbidding Japan to possess nuclear weapons, to produce nuclear weapons and to introduce any nuclear weapons. On November 24, 1971, Japanese Diet formally included the "nuclear-related three-no principles" into the law; in 1976 the Japanese government signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and made further promise: it will "not develop, not use, and not allow the transfer of nuclear weapons in its territory."

How Far Japan Is Away From Nuke
To know how far Japan is away from nuclear weapon, it is necessary first to make an examination of its nuclear capability: First of all, Japan possesses advanced, comprehensive nuclear technology. Although Japan currently still lacks nuclear weapons, it has the world's first-rate nuclear energy technology and 49 nuclear power stations with an annual power output of about 40,000 megawatt, ranking in the frontline of the world. Japan also possesses multiplication reactor technology that has all along been the key and difficult points in nuclear technology research. Secondly, Japan possesses super-strong computer simulation nuclear blasting capability. Thirdly, Japan is actively exploring new technology for obtaining nuclear raw materials. Fourthly, Japan possesses extremely high-level nuclear warhead-carrying technology. Fifthly, Japan stores astonishing nuclear raw materials. By the year 2010, Japan's gross plutonium reserves will reach 100 tons, thus making it the world's number 1 country with the largest plutonium storage. After deducting normal nuclear reactor consumption, it still has a surplus of over 60 tons. One ton plutonium can make 120 nuclear warheads, it is self-evident how many nuclear warheads these plutonium can make.

Japan's Nuclear Policy Becomes Increasingly Disturbing
Although Japan has signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, its attitude, however, arouses suspicion. As early as 1967 period when discussion began on "nuclear non-proliferation", Japan was astonishingly passive. It strongly opposed the "nuclear non-proliferation" treaty for it maintain that the treaty did not stipulate the obligation of nuclear countries to cut down nuclear weapons, and only prohibited non-nuclear countries from developing nuclear weapons.

After the conclusion of the Cold War, the world pattern clearly tended to become multi-polarized, Japan's role in Asia, particularly East Asia, further improved. From the long-term point of view, the possibility of Japan's pursuit of independent defense capability is on the rise. Japan "will not count on permanent US mild nuclear protection policy", even if the United States was willing to provide such protection, Japan's national interest could not invariably be identical with that of the United States, "Japan will ultimately be independently responsible for its own security". This has enormously increased the possibility of Japan's development of nuclear weapons. Given this situation, don't regard Ozawa's threatening remarks as merely foolish talks.



By People's Daily Online


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