With adversaries on the mind, former PM Shinzo Abe says Japan should host US nukes

Japan should consider hosting the nuclear weapons of the US, said former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.   

With the ongoing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensifying, 67-year-old Abe seems to have got the right opportunity to promote his belief that the nation should abandon its pacifism and arm itself with offensive weapons.   

In a TV interview on Sunday, the conservative politician said that Japan could seek an arrangement similar to NATO’s nuclear sharing policy, which allows countries without nuclear arms to keep such weapons on their soil for potential use in wartime.  

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Abe, who is still an influential voice in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said, “We should not put a taboo on discussions about the reality we face.”    

This comes as President Vladimir Putin has been making veiled threats of nuclear war over Western sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

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Abe’s suggestion seems to have not gone down well with several people in the country, which has seen widespread devastation during WWII due to two atomic bombs. It has prompted condemnation from the current prime minister and other anti-nuclear politicians.  

Abe has also been advocating to develop a first-strike capability on enemy bases to counter nuclear-armed North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.   

(With inputs from agencies)