When former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe encouraged a discussion on what amounted to stationing U.S. nuclear bombs on the territory of the sole nation to be attacked with them, it wasn¡¯t clear what kind of reaction he expected ¡ª or if he had ulterior motives.
Japanese, with images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki seared into their minds, have long had what observers call a ¡°nuclear allergy.¡± Even the mere discussion of allowing nuclear weapons into Japanese territory has proven toxic for politicians.
Although a handful of lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who are close to Abe quickly lined up to endorse his idea of discarding these taboos and examining a NATO-style nuclear-sharing deal with the United States, the concept quickly lost steam.
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