We learned last week that the United States conducted a subcritical nuclear test at an underground site in Nevada in mid-September. It was the first such test since August 2006, and the 24th time since the initial experiment in 1997.
It was also the first subcritical test under the administration of President Barack Obama, who in April last year in Prague announced his quest for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Familiar with the stated goals of Obama, expressions of regret and dismay at the news have poured in from Japan. There are also concerns about the impact on Russia, which conducted a similar test in 2004.
We fear the test may be viewed as selfishness on the part of a major power, giving countries aspiring for nuclear development a pretense to push ahead.
To prevent such a scenario from unfolding, the United States needs to enter a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia while mobilizing multilateral diplomacy and other means to get serious about shrinking the specific role played by nuclear weapons in global affairs.
Obama also says he wants to pursue the goal of zero nuclear weapons while maintaining nuclear capabilities, as long as such arms exist, for the security of America and its allies. Most of the nuclear warheads produced in large volume during the Cold War are deteriorating.
Obama's thinking is that subcritical testing is necessary to monitor major declines in explosive power, weakened safety system functions and other concerns.
Under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), for which the Obama administration is seeking early ratification and enforcement, testing accompanied by nuclear detonation is banned. No clear ban is stipulated, however, for subcritical tests.
Washington explains that because last month's test used a quantity of plutonium incapable of causing a nuclear fission chain reaction, no atomic explosion occurred.
Facing opposition from Congress and other quarters, the CTBT has yet to be approved in the United States. In a statement made in April, however, Obama vowed that no nuclear testing would occur on his watch.
Regarding subcritical testing, there is also deep-rooted criticism that the real purpose is to collect data for developing new types of nuclear warheads.
Again, however, Obama has stressed that no new warheads will be developed. Taking that pledge at face value, there are two areas that we wish to see realized.
The first is the effectuation of the new nuclear arms reduction treaty agreed upon by Washington and Moscow this April. Under those terms, the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads would be cut by about 30 percent within seven years of the treaty's start. Although the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the pact, there are no current prospects for it being ratified by a full session of the Senate.
Efforts to pass this proposal should be accelerated, setting aside concerns about the outcome of next month's midterm elections.
Secondly, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which has continued nuclear weapons research, reports that data from subcritical tests is useful in creating simulation systems to investigate nuclear warhead firing power without actual nuclear testing. The Obama administration should support moves to elevate the reliability of such systems as a top priority, and use that progress to win congressional endorsement of the CTBT.
Although subcritical tests are being conducted, the work to promote nuclear disarmament is making little headway. If such conditions persist, suspicions will emerge about Obama's leadership in striving to eliminate nuclear arms. We look forward to the resolve for a nuclear weapons-free world he voiced last year being steadily put into action.
Japan-S. Korea navy ties needed to contain North The Yomiuri Shimbun
Our world would immediately be put at risk if ships carrying nuclear weapons and nuclear-related goods were free to sail wherever they wanted. Nations around the world must join hands to stop such unrestricted conduct.
The latest maritime interdiction drill performed in waters off Busan, South Korea, was an example of the kind of cooperation that can be facilitated by the international community.
The two-day exercise that ended Thursday was organized by South Korea in accordance with the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a U.S.-led program involving 96 nations to prevent the further spread of weapons of mass destruction. Four nations took part in the training--Japan, South Korea, the United States and Australia.
The exercise included a drill in which two destroyers from the Maritime Self-Defense Force played a leading role in halting and searching a vessel in cooperation with two South Korean Navy destroyers and a U.S. Navy aegis-equipped destroyer. The drill was based on a scenario in which the searched ship was carrying suspicious freight.
Over the years, the MSDF and the South Korean Navy have joined a large U.S. Navy exercise off the coast of Hawaii, known as RIMPAC. However, this latest event was the first of its kind in which Japan and South Korea sent ships for a multilateral drill in waters close to their shores.
Shared threat
The two nations have long adhered to their respective perceptions of history. This has probably been a factor behind the cautious attitude both nations have toward bilateral security cooperation. However, a deepening threat posed by North Korea has changed all this.
Immediately after the reclusive state conducted a second nuclear test in May 2009 despite condemnation by the international community, South Korea said it would fully join the PSI. Seoul's decision to take the lead in organizing this month's maritime drill came after it concluded the sinking of a South Korean Navy patrol boat in March was caused by a torpedo attack by the North.
North Korea--a country that has relentlessly pursued nuclear arms and ballistic missiles--is the greatest element of instability in East Asia. Pyongyang has declared it will bolster its nuclear deterrent, despite an economy facing imminent collapse. The hermit nation has also entered a period of transition, in which Kim Jong Un is being positioned as the heir apparent to his father, supreme leader Kim Jong Il, in what would be the third generation of the Kim family to hold power.
Keep up intl pressure
The international community should not drop its guard with respect to North Korea, which exports ballistic missiles to earn foreign cash, and imports materials and commodities needed to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.
The U.N. Security Council has adopted a resolution against North Korea imposing an embargo on WMDs and goods related to the production of such arms, while also requesting member states to inspect vessels connected to North Korea suspected of carrying such cargo.
We believe it is essential to continue PSI-based maritime interdiction drills to ensure the U.N. resolution blocks Pyongyang's WMD ambitions.
There is a limit to what can be achieved through such exercises, given the need to obtain consent from the nation a ship belongs to when a cargo inspection is deemed necessary in international waters. North Korea cannot be expected to accept such inspections. Still, carrying out multilateral maritime interdiction drills can do much to strongly deter the unpredictable regime from proliferating WMDs.
Further progress in advancing cooperation between Japan and South Korea in this area will increase trust between the two nations, as well as improve collaboration between Tokyo, Seoul and Washington as they stand up to the challenge Pyongyang presents.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 15, 2010) (Oct. 16, 2010)