Is Japan Nuclear program inevitable after Ukraine war

Ukraine war would lead to the nuclearization of Japan?

Japan being a major player in South East Asia threatened by the War in Ukraine. The repercussions of war may shift the focus of policymakers in Japan over acquiring nuclear arsenals to beef up their security. That’s a question that is under debate by analysts after the invasion of Ukraine and Russia have flexed their military muscle in Eastern Europe.

The question is Japan considering the option of restoring its nuclear program? Ukraine will become a stimulus to shift the focus of its energy to nuclear energy to end its reliance on the import of hydrocarbons from Russia. The energy security of Japan relies on 9 percent of its gas supply from Russia. After the deal in 2006 Japan 210,000 tons of liquefied natural gas from Sakhalin every year from 2008 to 2028. The war in Ukraine will end their gas deal with Russia or they would explore other options to ensure their security.

Japanese companies are reluctant to purchase LNG from Russia after the war in Ukraine and creating a trust deficit and risk factor for Russian LNG. ENEOS, Japan's largest refiner company buys Russian crude, for their energy security. Japan is a member of the G7 countries that pledged on March 11 to cut their reliance on Russian crude gas to meet their domestic needs.

Japan is considering options to halt its LNG deal amid the uncertain situation after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Nobuo Tanaka, former executive director of the International Energy Agency said,

"Considering the current situations, it is unlikely [for Japan] to pursue additional deals in addition to investments already being made," said Tanaka, who is currently chairman of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum's steering committee. "

The experts assessing the unfolding of events in Ukraine and they are not going for immediate existence from Russia. They are dependent on Russia for the supply of gas. Tokyo have conveyed a strong message to Washington that the supply of LNG is vital for the energy sector of East Asia and Europe. 9.6 million mt/year LNG production capacity at the Sakhalin 2 project is solely responsible for supply to the whole of Japan. Public opinion is against the nuclearisation of Japan after Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

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