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Trump on Japanese Nukes

Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, discussed his views on foreign policy with the New York Times on 26 March 2016. "... right now we’re protecting, we’re basically protecting Japan, and we are, every time North Korea raises its head, you know, we get calls from Japan and we get calls from everybody else, and “Do something.” And there’ll be a point at which we’re just not going to be able to do it anymore. Now, does that mean nuclear? It could mean nuclear. It’s a very scary nuclear world. Biggest problem, to me, in the world, is nuclear, and proliferation. At the same time, you know, we’re a country that doesn’t have money. You know, when we did these deals, we were a rich country. We’re not a rich country. ... would I rather have North Korea have them with Japan sitting there having them also? You may very well be better off if that’s the case. In other words, where Japan is defending itself against North Korea... "

Trump's position drew harsh rebukes from officials and analysts who say such radical changes would greatly undermine U.S. credibility and alliances in the region, would likely lead to a nuclear arms race in Asia and would undercut international efforts to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun daily quoted an unnamed source saying, "If he becomes the U.S. president, it would be a problem for the Japan-U.S. national security system." Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga rejected any suggestion that Japan might develop its own nuclear arsenal, saying, "The three non-nuclear principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons on Japanese territory are an important basic policy of the government."

US President Barack Obama said on 01 APril 2016 that Trump’s comments that South Korea and Japan should acquire nuclear weapons showed the leading Republican presidential candidate to be uninformed on international relations. “What do the statements you mentioned tell us? They tell us that the person who made the statements doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean peninsula, or the world generally.” Obama said Trump’s candidacy had come up as a topic with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

Obama had not hesitated to criticize Trump for contributing to a coarse tone and circuslike atmosphere on the campaign trail. “Even ... those countries that are used to a carnival atmosphere in their own politics want sobriety and clarity when it comes to US elections because they understand the president of the United States needs to know what’s going on around the world,” he said.

Donald Trump at a campaign event in Wasau, Wisconsin 02 April 2016 reiterated his belief that Japan should arm itself to deter a threat from North Korea rather than have the US military protect the longtime ally against the rogue nuclear nation. "I would rather have them not arm, but I'm not going to continue to lose this tremendous amount of money. And frankly, the case could be made that let them protect themselves against North Korea. They'd probably wipe them out pretty quick," Trump said. The GOP front-runner added, "If they fight, you know what, that'd be a terrible thing. Terrible. ... But if they do, they do."

Japan's government commission on nuclear energy decided to reduce the country's stockpile of plutonium. Japan had been promoting a program to recycle plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel. In principle it did not possess plutonium whose purpose is unclear, because the material can be used for nuclear weapons. But the unused stockpile kept growing. Japan now has 47 tons of plutonium at home and abroad. If the fuel reprocessing plant at Rokkasho Village in the northern prefecture of Aomori was completed as scheduled in 2021, it would produce up to 7 tons of plutonium annually. This has heightened international concern.

The Atomic Energy Commission on 31 July 2018 revised its guidelines on plutonium use for the first time in 15 years, stipulating that the stockpile will be reduced. Japan currently uses plutonium for mixed oxide fuel for nuclear power plants. Under the revised guidelines, reprocessing plants are obliged to produce only the amount necessary, and what's produced must be used up. Power companies will be asked to cooperate in using and reducing plutonium. Plutonium used for research and development, as in the Monju fast-breeder reactor, could be disposed of if there's no plan for what to do with it.

Commission chief Yoshiaki Oka said Japan must avoid being seen as stockpiling plutonium, amid global efforts toward nuclear nonproliferation. He stressed the need to specify how plutonium is used.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, elected to office by voters in Hiroshima city, has made "nuclear abolition" his life's work.G7 leaders gathered 19 May 2023 for a summit in Hiroshima City, site of the world's first atomic bombing. Ukraine and the world economy topped the agenda, but Kishida would also show his guests around the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. With just days to go, negotiations over what they will see inside the museum continued to be a sticking point. Holding a summit in his home city had been on his agenda ever since taking office as prime minister in 2021. In particular, he repeatedly stressed the importance of leaders visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. "We must show them the reality of atomic bombings," he has said.

Officials at the Foreign Ministry began sounding out G7 member countries, but negotiations quickly got bogged down. Aides say Kishida became frustrated by the lack of progress, with the US, but also France and Britain, all showing reluctance to take part. The US, which dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 78 years ago, was the world's top nuclear power along with Russia. France and Britain were also in the nuclear arms club.

That made Kishida's invitation problematic for these nations. "The museum has exhibits that convey the tragedy of the atomic bombing," said one Japanese official. "There is a concern that if a leader visits the site, it could undermine their country's position on nuclear weapons as a justified need for deterrence."

Japanese negotiators believed their trump card to achieving consensus was the Ukraine issue. As the invasion dragged on, Russia threatened to use nuclear weapons — a call loudly condemned by all G7 countries. "The first step toward nuclear abolition is to stop threatening the use of nuclear weapons," said an official privy to the talks. "We emphasized that we wanted to make this year's summit a place to send out that message."

At the same time, Japanese officials were at pains to assure their counterparts that a visit would not be interpreted as a call for each nation to immediately abandon nuclear weapons. It was a tight line to walk, but it seemed to pay off. Kishida's aides got the green light in late December, more than six months after the start of negotiations. If it actually happens, this will be the first time for all G7 leaders to visit the museum together.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has two buildings, the east and the main. The main building displays photographs of the city of Hiroshima and the survivors after the bombing. Among the harrowing exhibits are clothes of victims and a charred tricycle that belonged to a child who was killed in the blast. The Japanese government wanted the leaders to step into the main building to take a close look at those displays. Some countries objected. Even if their leaders visit the museum, they want them to see only a few selected exhibits and avoid spending too much time in the main building.

"In the US, there is a deep-rooted opinion that dropping atomic bombs was necessary to end the war with Japan sooner," says one official from the host nation. "The US will hold a presidential election next year. It is probably concerned that the visit will influence public opinion in the country." The museum's main building contains belongings of victims, photos, and other exhibits that depict the devastation of the bombing.

In 2016, then-president Barack Obama became the first — and only — US leader to visit Hiroshima's landmark museum. Kishida, who was foreign minister at the time, acted as Obama's guide on that day. He has never revealed what he and his Washington guest talked about during the tour. Obama only spent a short time in the east building and is believed not to have entered the main building. "Prime Minister Kishida was deeply moved by having invited the President of the United States to Hiroshima and the opportunity to convey the damage caused by the atomic bombing," one official said. "On the other hand, he might have had regrets, he wants the leaders to know more about the reality of the devastation."

Kishida remained hopeful, despite aides reporting that it would be difficult to convince the US president to visit the main building. A visit to Ukraine in March 2023 only boosted his resolve. His destinations included Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv, where Russians troops are alleged to have massacred civilians. Stopping at a church, he laid wreaths on victims' graves. "I've never seen Prime Minister Kishida's expression so stern," said one official who was accompanying him. "It reinforced his belief in the significance of visiting the museum during the upcoming G7 summit."

On 19 May 2023, the G7 and European Union leaders visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. When asked 20 May 2023 about the significance of President Biden's visiting the Hiroshima Memorial Museum, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stated : "It was important for the President and the First Lady to pay their respects to the lives that were lost in the atomic bomb, bombing of 1945. And he was grateful that he had the opportunity to lay a wreath. He was grateful that he had the opportunity to visit at least a part of the museum with the other G7 leaders where they actually got to hear from a survivor. He believes it was important to pay those respects."