Chinese nuclear experts believe Japan could build nukes in less than 3 years
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337876/chinese-nuclear-experts-believe-japan-could-build-nuclear-weapons-less-3-years?utm_content=article&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawO9bvRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeg-G3Q0s-pBmvzFe7EPilRMXgvD-QP2nRz3Py5psvFns8sJoKHOIePWs0TlA_aem_OFx4_0_TC_6ogtLT7h2Tcg#Echobox=1766841764
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Japan obviously could if they wanted to. They have had nuclear plants and the technology to build nukes for decades and long before China did. Of course they could build them if they wanted to.
The assurance of mutual destruction will give Japan and South Korea a really good deterrence against a bully and aggressive nation towards them and knowing there are 3 nuclear-armed bullies in these region, the assurance of mutual destruction might be the best path to regional stability.
This isn’t exactly “new” news.
Japan and South Korea have had the capability to produce nuclear weapons if they really wanted to for decades. But they don’t have the intent obviously.
This is just PRC saber-rattling.
Probably a safe assumption. Here’s an interesting experiment for anyone who hasn’t seen it: [Nth Country Experiment – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nth_Country_Experiment)
>The experiment ended on April 10, 1967, after three person-years of work over two and a half calendar years. According to a heavily redacted declassified version of the summary, lab weapons experts apparently judged that the team had come up with a credible design for a two-point implosion-style nuclear weapon.
Any company with a several million dollars and authorization/access to restricted material could build a nuke.
We did it in the 1940’s without electronics. It’s not that hard.
Shipping is really the only delay.
And since a change to world order isn’t that badly wanted, I’d say it would take about 40 minutes.
The fact that the CCP now have to factor that into their strategic equations is pretty ingenious, and they don’t even have to build them, just raise the possibility that they might.
China says blah blah. Japan could have nukes *tomorrow* and have “built” them if the US wanted it so.
It used to be suggested that Canada and Japan could built a nuclear bomb in 9 months. Why 3 years now?
Sony nukes for the discriminating annihilator
Anyone who has seen their highway repair before/afters will know they could do it in a week.
I suppose if anyone has a right to nuclear arms ….
3 years? How is it that Iran is way closer (2 weeks away) to nukes than Japan?
Try 3 months.
I said what at first… then I said of course they could build Nukes probably as fast as a month or two if they cared to.. then I said why would they and what’s the purpose of this
It would take maybe 6 months
They already know how to enrich uranium and build a bomb
That’s fine. I’m fine with them. Iran however…. Never.
If they include an anime waifu art on the nukes I’m sure it can be done by next week.
Probably sooner. But the question is not whether they can. The question is whether they will, and how fast they want to.
When I lived in Japan in the 1980s, there was an emergency plan by the Japanese self defense forces to construct an atomic weapon in less than a month.
Interesting.
I feel like they could probably do it in less than 3 years .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_latency
Nuclear latency or a nuclear threshold state is the condition of a country possessing all the technology, expertise and infrastructure needed to quickly develop nuclear weapons, without having actually yet done so.
Japan, South Korea, Germany, Canada, could all have one within weeks.
Brazil undoubtedly could have one within months. They aren’t really all that hard to make. Especially if it’s just a fission gun type bomb.
Multistage thermonuclear weapons AKA hydrogen bonds are a different story.
The gun type design is so easy the United States didn’t even bother to test it first before we dropped it on japan. We tested the implosion type device with the trinity test. But the gun type device is so stupid easy you don’t even have to test your design
Also Iran could probably have one within a matter of weeks/months as well. They purposely stay where they’re at for ambiguity and negotiation.
This honestly doesn’t worry me, Pakistan has nuclear weapons. That worries me.
Japan has had breakout capacity forever
If the Japanese don’t already have nukes, which they may, it would take them a year or less to have an operational weapon in my opinion.
It would be astonishing if japan didn’t have an emergency ‘break glass in case of loss of US nuclear umbrella’ plan locked away in a top secret drawer somewhere.
I’d be pretty confident South Korea has one also.
So what. Why can’t they have nukes? They been needing them for ages.
3 years seems kind of long? especially for a country with both nuclear energy and a space program.
I can’t imagine it would take more than a year if they really wanted it done.
Japan can do it in a week if no holds barred. Owing to their security concerns, they probably have the shell and other components sans fissile materials in the cupboard.
Three years seems like a very long amount of time. That’s about how long it took the USA to build them the first time while at war. Given its advanced nuclear research and power plants I doubt it would take longer than six months.
China is the only one that is worried.
Lol this is common knowledge for Japan.You read numerous papers from different think tanks about this.
plutonium stockpile, 🧐✅, tech for refining, ✅ miniaturizaton,✅ existing nuclear power generation✅, nuclear wqrhead delivery: existing icbm capable missiles.disguised as dual use space program, ✅
Sample position papers and opinion piece:
https://npolicy.org/japan-should-resist-the-temptation-to-go-nuclear-the-japan-times/
I think they should. Seems like it’s what you need to keep others from invading you these days or others trying to lob rockets over your islands.
It’s too bad really.
They’d have to change their constitution first which prohibits possession, production or even allowing nuclear weapons on their territory.
The headline is a little misleading. It’s not about capabilities.
It’s referring to a prediction by Kissinger that Japan will become a nuclear armed country by 2028:
“One of [Henry Kissinger’s final and most sobering predictions](https://archive.is/o/uOfmV/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140559/henry-kissinger-marks-50-years-first-china-visit-call-talks) before his death was that Japan would eventually pursue nuclear weapons.
In a 2023 interview with The Economist, Kissinger warned that Japan was “heading towards becoming a [nuclear power in five years](https://archive.is/o/uOfmV/https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3337283/japan-backs-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-restart-despite-pushback-residents)”.”
Also speculation that **Japan already has nukes**:
“There is speculation that Japan already has two nuclear bombs, according to the expert, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the topic.”
3 years is probably a major overestimate.
They wouldn’t need 3 years loooool
Way too slow, imo.
“How soon can you build a nuke?”
“3”
“3 years?”
“2”
“1”
Japan and South Korea could probably have deployable nukes in a month.
Given how china is behaving globally and in SCS, many countries actually trust the Japanese more
I mean so could Canada if they wanted to. It’s not a surprise.
Is this some form of propaganda, who gives a flying fuck?
If nukes keep two countries at peace (e.g. when Ukraine has nukes, Russia was not invading them), then let Japan go at it.
Asia would be less likely to go into all out war.
It’s not called the six month club for nothing…
Why does anyone need to make things like that ?
Years? They have the capability of manufacturing an operational warhead in three months.
Three year estimate sound rather generous. Much sooner if the country decide to make it its priority and commit resources as if its survival depend on it.
hope they share a couple with taiwan lol
Good. Arm Japan to the teeth.