Tokyo can create means of delivering nuclear weapons, China says

BEIJING, October 28. /TASS/. Japan has the industrial and technical potential to develop delivery systems for nuclear weapons, Secretary General of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) Dai Huaicheng told TASS.

According to him, Japan has been actively expanding its military capabilities in recent years by acquiring advanced US weapons. Besides, it has its own technologies that can be used for military purposes, Dai Huaicheng said.

"Japan has long held a leading position in the world in the field of large launch vehicles, has mastered the key technologies necessary for the development of medium-and long-range ballistic missiles, such as guidance and reentry systems, and also has the technical base for the development of ships with a nuclear power plant," he said.

"This means that if it makes the relevant political decision, Japan will face no insurmountable industrial and technical obstacles either in the field of nuclear warheads or in their delivery systems.

"Japan is the only non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that possesses nuclear fuel reprocessing technologies, is capable of extracting weapons-grade plutonium and has operating fuel reprocessing facilities, as well as the only country outside the nuclear club that has a full-fledged nuclear fuel cycle. In addition, Japan has a powerful industrial base and economic potential, which theoretically enable it to produce and obtain nuclear materials using existing reactors and reprocessing technologies to manufacture nuclear explosive devices."

According to Dai Huaicheng, Japan has been building up its military potential in recent years with support from the US military industry.

"As for the means of delivery, the F-35A, F-15 and F-2 fighters in service with the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces are potentially capable of carrying nuclear bombs. Japan has also decided to purchase several hundred Tomahawk cruise missiles, modify the launchers on ships equipped with the Aegis combat information management system, and deploy US Typhon medium-range ground-based missiles," he said.