Rice vows 'full range' defense of Japan

Yahoo News (AP) ^ | October 18, 2006 | ANNE GEARAN

[John Carey]

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the United States is ready to use the "full range" of its military might to defend Japan in light of North Korea's nuclear weapons test, and her Japanese counterpart drew a firm line against developing a Japanese bomb.

The United States is concerned that Japan, South Korea or perhaps Taiwan may want to develop their own nuclear weapons programs to counter the threat from North Korea. Such moves would anger China, which already has nuclear weapons, and raise tensions in the region.

Part of Rice's assignment on this week's hastily arranged trip to China, Russia, Japan and South Korea is to lessen the temptation to develop separate national nuclear programs by reaffirming the U.S. intention to defend the nations most at risk.

In Japan, Rice said she reaffirmed President Bush's pledge, made the day of the North's test last week, "that the United States has the will and the capability to meet the full range — and I underscore the full range — of its deterrent and security commitments to Japan," Rice said following discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso.

Rice's words were a reminder to U.S. allies that the United States does not want to see a new nuclear arms race in Asia, but will likely be taken also as a warning to North Korea that it could face the U.S. nuclear arsenal if it used a nuclear weapon on a neighbor.

[diverteach]

The turn around that Japan has done since WW2 going from foe to friend has been extreme. A people we once loathed to destroy in revenge after Pearl Harbor and lockup in interent camps, those that were already in our country are know a very strong allie.

I'd have no problem at all if we let them put thier forces back together or even have nukes for that matter.

[wolfcreek]

We already have nuclear weapons in Japan and SK. Maybe We could just let them push the button?

[trublu]

The Japanese like Rice. :)

[american_ranger]

The Japanese like Rice. :)

I almost missed it. Not had enough coffee and a little slow this morning. I'll give it a 7 out of 10 on the pun-ometer.

[dennisw]

Japan hold more US debt than China. Japan will never dump it because we defend them. This is what's going on. They hold our debt and we defend them

[cobaltblu]

I went looking to see if Japan had nukes and found this:

Proliferation chains

China wanted a bomb because it stopped trusting the Soviet Union.

Then India wanted a bomb because it had bad blood with China.

Then Pakistan wanted a bomb because it had bad blood with India.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Israel built nuclear weapons for protection against the Muslim states.

Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iran, and Iraq then decided they needed the security of mutually assured destruction vis-a-vis Israel.

And let's not forget North Korea versus everybody.

Or Taiwan versus China. Or the government of the Philippines versus the insurgents of Mindanao.

You can keep going like this for a long time. The harder you look, the more pairs of (ever-smaller) opposing parties pop into view throughout the world, each a potential Petri dish for mad thinking.

http://encarta.msn.com/column_nukes_tamimhome/Whosgotnukes.html

[Michael81Dus]

This is the same with Germany of 1955. Germany´s government wanted its own nukes then, but the US issued a security guarantee in order not to provoke the Soviets. Replace Germany with Japan and the Soviets with China and there you´ll have it. It works just fine as long as the security interests of the US are quite the same as of Japan/Germany/... .

[Schnucki]

A nuclear Japan would strengthen both Japan and the United States. That's why China would get upset.