McCain: Japan arming itself with nuclear weapons inevitable

Japan Today ^ | Monday, February 17, 2003 at 10:00 JST

[DeaconBenjamin]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen John McCain said Sunday that Japan will be forced to possess nuclear weapons without active commitments from China to quickly resolve what he called a nuclear "crisis" in North Korea.

"I think that the Chinese have to understand that unless they become very engaged with North Korea and bring about a very quick resolution to this crisis that the Japanese will have no choice but to nuclear arm themselves," McCain said on a Fox News television talks show.

"It is a crisis," said the Republican from Arizona. "So I think that the Chinese ought to understand that it is not in their interest in any way to have a nuclear-armed North Korea."

Appearing on the same show after McCain, White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice denied the possibility of Japan arming itself with nuclear weapons.

"I don't see any evidence that the Japanese think that this is in their interest," Rice said.

"The key here is to get the regional powers to recognize that we need a non-nuclear Korean Peninsula, that we've got to work for it in a united fashion," she said, referring particularly to Japan, China and Russia.

Against this backdrop, Rice welcomed the International Atomic Energy Agency's decision Wednesday to refer the North Korean nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council, calling it a "very good step."

"I know that the North Koreans would like nothing better than for this to become a bilateral problem between the United States and North Korea," Rice said.

"But of course, the Chinese have an enormous stake in this. The Russians have an enormous stake. The Japanese have an enormous stake," she said.

Rice reiterated that Washington will not allow Pyongyang to "get back into a kind of discussions with the United States that produces an agreement that the North Koreans have no intention of carrying through." (Kyodo News)

[Arkinsaw]

Interesting McCainiac message. The Chinese fear a remilitarized Japan more than about anything else. Pretty good shot across the bow to try and get China to get off its duff.

[DugwayDuke]

I think John McCain must be a lurker on this site (and reading my posts). I said the same thing back on 23 Jan.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/827532/posts?page=91#91

"I am hopeful that China also recognizes that Kim Jong-Il will have to go. I doubt China is thrilled with the man. His reckless policies have brought the possibility of a nuclear war to China's backdoor. Kim has given both South Korea and Japan a powerful incentive to develop their own nuclear weapons. China is threatened by the possibility of a few hundred thousand North Korea refugees. None of this is acceptable to China. I would not be at all surprised if he is replaced by a Chinese inspired coup."

[freethinkingman]

I doubt the Chinese care, as a matter of fact anything that makes U.S. war planning more difficult probably makes them happy.

[John Locke]

The Chinese are, as usual, inscrutable. But whatever they do, it will be based on their own calculation of self interest.

If they think peace is to their advantage, they will hold North Korea back, if necessary with the threat of force. But on the other hand...

The US has sent almost its entire available naval forces to the Middle east. Once the war in Iraq is won, they can all move away - and need never go back, because the US will have a secure land base from which to project power.

To put in bluntly, if the Chinese really do intent to attack Taiwan, the day after the war begins is the best opportunity they will have in twenty years. And the best time to unleash North Korea is the day after that attack.

We live in interesting times.