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Home / Nuclear weapons / Trump shock spurs Japan to think about the unthinkable: nuclear arms
Nuclear weapons, Asia

August 20, 2025

Trump shock spurs Japan to think about the unthinkable: nuclear arms

Within a couple of years, Tokyo could build a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile, said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a Washington-based think tank. One senior lawmaker close to Ishiba told Reuters that Japan could build a nuclear weapon in as little as six months, and that it should consider doing so if trust in the U.S. nuclear umbrella broke down.

Read at Reuters

Featuring

Jennifer
Kavanagh

Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis

Defense Priorities

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