Last week, the U.S. State Department announced that the U.S. and Japanese governments had agreed on guidelines for “extended deterrence” against China and North Korea, including on the use of U.S. nuclear weapons “in order to promote regional stability and deter the outbreak of conflict.” The guidelines document itself was not released.
Yesterday, the Japan News published an article from Yomiuri Shimbun which reported that the guidelines stipulate that Japan and the United States will communicate regarding Washington’s possible use of nuclear weapons, in the event of a “contingency.” According to Japanese government sources, Japan will convey its requests to the United States via the Alliance Coordination Mechanism (ACM), through which Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and U.S. forces maintain contact with each other, Yomiuri reports.
