Wakana Mukai

May 22, 2024 | nbr.org | Lavina Lee |Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan |Wakana Mukai |Jyh-Shyang Sheu

Introduction: Meeting the Challenge of China’s WMD Buildup Bates Gill Stating that the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or China) is “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge” and “most consequential strategic competitor for the coming decades,” the 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) and U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) made clear that deterring aggression by the PRC is a vital interest of the United States.[1] According to the NDS, China seeks to “refashion the...

May 22, 2024 | nbr.org | Wakana Mukai

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYMAIN ARGUMENTSecurity concerns related to China have been rapidly increasing in Japan. Although China’s growing nuclear capabilities are not said to be directed at Japan, there are indeed concerns within the Japanese community about the potential use of nuclear weapons by China. Moreover, the indirect threats of China’s military buildup have stimulated Japanese policymakers to reconsider and re-evaluate security policies.