Japan Is Not an Obstacle to US “No-First-Use” Policy

He should not allow unfounded concerns about the possibility of a nuclear-armed Japan to prevent him from making this constructive, long overdue change in US policy. There is no appreciable risk Japan would respond by developing nuclear weapons. Two Japanese government inquiries concluded, without reservation, that Japan should choose the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty over preserving a future nuclear option. And even if a small number of Japanese officials secretly are against such a change in US policy, opposition to nuclear weapons is a cornerstone of Japan’s modern identity and enjoys broad-based public support.