By Berk Kutay Gokmen
ISTANBUL (AA) - The US and Japan have discussed a contingency scenario in which the US could use nuclear weapons in response to a regional crisis, Kyodo News reported Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
This marks the first time the two allies have addressed such a possibility in official talks, reflecting a deeper effort to strengthen the US nuclear umbrella protecting Japan amid rising security threats from China, North Korea, and Russia.
According to the report, the discussion took place during extended deterrence talks — a framework under which the two countries coordinate their strategic postures and crisis response planning.
In recent years, Washington and Tokyo have conducted tabletop simulations of potential conflict in East Asia that could escalate to the point of nuclear consideration. These exercises reportedly included coordination procedures, limits on information sharing, and strategies for managing public reaction.
In December, the allies announced their first extended deterrence guidelines. The details remain classified but are said to outline joint steps under the bilateral security treaty if the US were to consider nuclear use in defense of Japanese territory.
Senior-level deterrence consultations between the two countries have taken place since 2010, but the process was elevated in July 2024 with the first ministerial meeting held in Tokyo amid rising regional tensions.
The discussion is seen as particularly sensitive given Japan’s unique historical position as the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War II.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing an estimated 140,000 people. A second bomb hit Nagasaki on Aug. 9, killing approximately 70,000 more. Japan formally surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, marking the end of the war.