Japan's Nuclear Future: The Plutonium Debate and East Asian Security

by Selig S. Harrison (Editor)

Japan's policy of basing its nuclear power program on reprocessed plutonium has aroused widespread suspicion that Japan is secretly planning to develop nuclear weapons. This book presents the views of a leading Japanese proponent of the reprocessing policy, Atsuyuki Suzuki, professor of nuclear engineering at Tokyo University; a leading critic, Jinzaburo Takagi, director of the Citizens Nuclear Information Center; and Taewoo Kim, a South Korean specialist who warns that the Japanese nuclear program could lead Seoul to pursue a reprocessing capability of its own.The introduction by Selig S. Harrison analyzes the history of the domestic debate in Japan over the acquisition of nuclear weapons and assesses the possibility of a Japanese nuclear weapons program.

120 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1996