Japan has decided that it will go all out against China. It has given up post-World War II pacifism and the Japanese Samurai is now ready to take on the Chinese.
Japan is moving forward towards creating a strong nuclear deterrence against China. And how is it achieving it? Well, it is using hypersonic missiles to close in on nuclear deterrence against the Communist country.
Japan’s not-so-secret offensive nuclear programme
Japan isn’t a nuclear power. But North Korea and China have always been apprehensive of Tokyo as a near-nuclear state with a “bomb in the basement”. Japan on its part does not dispel Beijing’s fears, because it helps Tokyo deter Chinese expansionism and aggression.
Japan has a massive nuclear power industry, which is presently used for civil purposes. Japan is the only country with a peaceful nuclear programme that reprocesses its spent nuclear fuel to produce plutonium. It has been storing huge stockpiles of plutonium that can help it in quickly making a nuclear bomb.
Japan’s hypersonic missiles programme
Japan already has a bomb in the basement. So, you may think what is new about it? Well, being a nuclear power or a near-nuclear power isn’t just about making the bomb. It is a huge logistical game to be precise.
In Japan’s case too, the means to carry nuclear warheads are just as important as the capability to launch an offensive nuclear programme at will.
And Japan is making weapons that can breach China’s defences quite easily. Japan has an exciting hypersonic weapons programme. These are next-gen weapons that travel faster than five times the speed of sound, fly at low altitudes and remain highly manoeuvrable, making it hard for missile defence systems to intercept them.
The Japanese military is presently considering developing a hypersonic anti-ship missile with a special warhead that will tear through the decks of Chinese aircraft carriers and destroy them ruthlessly. Japan plans to deploy such anti-ship missiles on its island bases starting in 2026.
If and when Japan announces its offensive nuclear programme, it will want to have weapons that can evade Chinese missile defence systems and create a stronger nuclear deterrent by making Beijing realise that in case of an escalation, things can go wrong for it. This is where Japan’s hypersonic missiles development becomes critical.
Japan’s indigenous sixth-generation fighter
In 2020, Nikkei revealed details of an under-development Japanese fighter aircraft. It is believed that this could be Japan’s indigenous sixth-generation fighter jet. Dubbed the F-X or F-3, the aircraft will be built at a cost of around $48 million. It is expected to come laced with advanced technologies including a microwave defence system for the fighter mid-air to fend off incoming missiles.
We are talking about an unstoppable, ruthless war machine that might come laced with remote drone control capabilities. And it can seriously rain hell over the Chinese military forces. We can also take it for granted that it will be capable of carrying nuclear warheads and evading Beijing’s defences deep into China’s territory.
Japan is thus producing some magnificent weapons capable of keeping China on the edge. Tokyo is thus getting close to bringing the nuclear option on the table and pushing back against Chinese aggression.