Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has suggested that Japan consider hosting US nuclear weapons.
With Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine intensifying, 67-year-old Abe appears to have seized the opportunity to promote his belief that the country should abandon its pacifism and arm itself with offensive weapons.
In a TV interview on Sunday, the conservative politician suggested that Japan pursue a policy similar to NATO’s nuclear sharing policy, which allows countries without nuclear weapons to keep such weapons on their territory for potential use in wartime.
“We should not put a taboo on discussions about the reality we face,” Abe, who is still a powerful voice in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said.
This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has made veiled threats of nuclear war in response to Western sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Abe’s suggestion appears to have irritated several people in the country, which suffered widespread devastation during WWII as a result of two atomic bombs. The current prime minister and other anti-nuclear politicians have condemned it.
Abe has also advocated for the development of a first-strike capability on enemy bases in order to counter nuclear-armed North Korea and an assertive China.
