Assessing Japan's nuclear debate

The possibility of Japan's going nuclear is a hot and interesting topic resent years especially after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test. Given the profound changes of security environment, more and more Japanese officials began to openly urge government to consider breaking with existing non-nuclear policies by developing its won nuclear capabilities. As a result, nuclear debate is no longer a taboo in Japan. What is the implication of such open debates? Will Japan go nuclear in the future? After examining some important factors such as public opinion, security environment, U.S. role and extended nuclear deterrence, and consequence of nuclearizatin of Japan, the dissertation draws a conclusion that Japan is unlikely to go nuclear because: majority of Japanese people still support non-nuclear policy; external nuclear threats remain under control; U.S. does not want to see a nuclear Japan and the credibility of U.S. nuclear umbrella is still reliable; and the loss of nuclear armament overweight the gain.Master of Science (Strategic Studies