(Hiroshima) — As Japanese politicians and peace activists remember the U.S. nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, there’s no hiding the strain and fears of a fast advancing nuclear program in nearby North Korea. “The New York Times” reports speaker after speaker today recalled the horrors of the nuclear firestorm 72 years ago that rained down on Hiroshima and the Japanese postwar call of “Never again.” To mark the Hiroshima anniversary, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe [[ SHEEN-zoh AH-bay ]] said today that Japan, “as the only country to be irradiated in war,” would “firmly advance the movement toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Asked today if Japan should arm itself in case it’s attacked by the North Koreans, Abe stopped short of rejecting the plan outright. The Japanese leader says, “At the present time, we are not planning any specific deliberations about possessing” weapons for a preemptive strike. Abe added that Japan needed to strengthen its defenses generally, “given that the security situation surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe.”
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Mark Carlson/sks
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