In Japan, Provocative Case for Staying Nuclear

[bananas]

Source: Wall Street Journal

Some Say Bombs' Potential as Deterrent Argues for Keeping Power Plants Online

TOKYO—Many of Japan's political and intellectual leaders remain committed to nuclear power even as Japanese public opinion has turned sharply against it. One argument in favor rarely gets a public airing: Japan needs to maintain its technical ability to make nuclear bombs.

"I don't think Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons, but it's important to maintain our commercial reactors because it would allow us to produce a nuclear warhead in a short amount of time," Shigeru Ishiba, a former defense minister, said in an interview in a recent edition of Sapio, a right-leaning twice-monthly magazine.

"It's a tacit nuclear deterrent," added Mr. Ishiba, an influential parliament member who made similar remarks on a prime time television news show in August while serving as policy chief of Japan's main opposition party.

Instead of sparking an outcry, his remarks seem to have stimulated further consideration of their merits. The Yomiuri newspaper, Japan's largest-circulation daily, urged the government to stay the course on nuclear power in an editorial last month, stressing that the country's stockpile of plutonium gives it diplomatic leverage."As Japan has worked to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty regime through the peaceful use of nuclear power, the nation is permitted to use plutonium that can be used as material for nuclear weapons. In fact, this also functions diplomatically as a potential nuclear deterrent." the paper said.

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Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203658804576638392537430156.html

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Lots of interesting information in the article.
If the direct link doesn't let you read the whole article,
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[bananas]

1. The nuclear industry PR machine has tried to deny that this is a problem with nuclear energy

Now they are using it as a selling point.

Proliferation is one of the many serious problems with nuclear energy.

[psychopomp]

4. This is not the nuclear industry speaking out here

It is the right-wing in Japan. I've shared with many Japanese my opinion that Japan will one day need to make nuclear weapons as a deterrent once the US and Japan go their own ways. This is a position that I've held for the last five years or so, I'm surprised that some of the Japanese public tacitly concur already.

[No Elephants]

2. A provocative case for getting tax dollars to nuclear power plants.

Yep, you guessed it. DLC.

Harold Ford is the supposed author of an article about public infrastructure, like roads and bridges. So far, so good, but he slides nuclear power in there, as though they are no different from bridges built by government. No explanation, just slides them in.

Oh, yeah, and that infrastructure bank the POTUS mentioned in his emergency joint session of Congress? Also a DLC brainchild and Ford wants it used to repair nuclear power plants. http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254709&kaid=85&subid=65

How many damned bailouts is it going to take in order to make ALL the 1% wet their pants with joy?

[Art_from_Ark]

3. I'm not surprised that the Yomiuri newspaper has supported this

It is the largest right-leaning newspaper in Japan. I would be surprised, though, if the Asahi newspaper came out in support of it.

[JackRiddler]

5. dupe, sorry

[JackRiddler]

6. "Provocative" is a word. So is ridiculous. So is insulting.

[axollot]

7. Ironic. This is why the plants were built to process nuke material.