Japan's Nuclear Option

Former Japanese finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa (last seen nodding off in what many suspected was a drunken stupor during the G7 conference in Feb.) suggested in a speech today that the country should acquire nuclear weapons: "It is common sense worldwide that in pure military terms, nuclear counters nuclear."

While this would certainly run afoul of President Obama's disarmament aspirations, I can see a number of upsides. A nuclear-armed Japan would further tilt the balance of power in Asia in our favor. It would serve as a useful deterrent to both China and North Korea. And I doubt that the Japanese would constitute a major proliferation threat.

That's not to say it's all upside. Naturally, it's not. But kick-starting a debate about whether Japan should acquire a nuclear deterrent would be useful for the U.S. as well as Japan. For decades, we've treated the country as a U.S. protectorate. There were good reasons for doing so in the immediate aftermath of World War II and during the Cold War, but there's much less reason to do so now.

Do we trust the Japanese to strengthen their military without going off on another imperial bender? Wouldn't having stronger allies in Asia ultimately redound to our benefit?