A nuclear pact between Japan and the United States has automatically been extended, despite growing international concern over Tokyo’s stockpile of plutonium. Japan has reportedly amassed enough plutonium to make 6,000 atomic bombs, prompting fears that the growing stockpile is vulnerable to terrorists and natural disasters. There are also concerns that the reserve could encourage regional powers such as China to follow suit or be used as an excuse by North Korea to circumvent its promises to denuclearise. The bilateral Japan-US nuclear pact, which came into force in July 1988, has permitted Tokyo to reprocess spent fuel, extract plutonium and enrich uranium for 30 years. The pact, which can now be terminated with only six months’ notice, puts Japan in the unusual position of being the only country in the world without nuclear arms that is allowed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
Telegraph 18th July 2018 read more »
Japan has amassed enough plutonium to make 6,000 atomic bombs as part of a programme to fuel its nuclear plants, but the concern is growing that the stockpile is vulnerable to terrorists and natural disasters. Japan has long been the world’s only non-nuclear-armed country with a programme to reprocess spent nuclear fuel from its power plants into plutonium. Today a decade-old deal with the United States which allows Japan to reprocess plutonium was renewed, but the pact can be terminated by either side with just six months’ notice.
New Indian Express 17th July 2018 read more »
