War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Yuko Kurihara, 1987
- Transcript
WAR AND PEACE IN THE NUCLEAR AGE - TAPE 9122 YUKO KURIHARA
Japan's Defense Situation
Interviewer:
THE FIRST QUESTION IS WITH REGARD TO THE STATE OF DEFENSE AT PRESENT,
WHAT IS THE POSITION OF JAPAN ?
Kurihara:
Well, in Asia, especially the Far East, defense is implicated complexly
both politically and militarily with America, China and the Soviet
Union. China and the Soviet Union are divided by a defended border, a
situation that has its dangers. There is also the give and take of
diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and China. There are
profitable defense relationships between America and China. That is the
general situation. Then there is the Korean peninsula, and this
situation is in its own way of concern. With regard to the countries
around Japan, in particular, we give the Soviet Union close and steady
attention. As you know, nuclear or non-nuclear, about a quarter or a
third of the Soviet Union's present military forces are devoted to the
Far East. More over, this is especially important as the Soviet Union
modernizes, extending to its warships and aircraft which go into the
open sea or variously approach the vicinity of Japan. When affairs
reach this condition, to some extent it must be a concern for our
country. With regard to America, of course there is the Japanese
American Security Treaty so, in accordance with it, with regard to the
aforesaid movements in Soviet forces we deploy our forces ...
Japan's Defense Policies
Interviewer:
THE NEXT QUESTION IS WITH REGARD TO JAPAN'S DEFENSE POLICY, NUCLEAR
WEAPON'S POLICY... MY QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
OF JAPANESE DEFENSE POLICY?
Kurihara:
Japan was a defeated country in the Second World War. So the Peace
constitution which said that war would not happen a second time was
established. So the Peace constitution is the foundation, however, it
is possible to have military forces in response to the necessity of
self-defense. We cannot go out to another country, but for the purposes
of protecting our own country it is necessary to have a defense
force... Thus when it is asked whether we can have so-called ICBMs, or
having a military force with war making potential, such things are not
possible. It must be based upon defensive necessity. We do not have a
conscription system. These are the kinds of things that exist. And then
of course we have the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. We are strictly
keeping to these provisions ourselves. This is the basic situation.
Then there is the Japanese American Security Treaty System which plays
a very important role.
Interviewer:
YOU MENTIONED THE THREE NON-NUCLEAR PRINCIPLES. CAN JAPAN'S SAFETY BE
DEFENDED USING ONLY CONVENTIONAL FORCES OR DOES THE POSSIBILITY EXIST
THAT CONVENTIONAL FORCES WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT? ESPECIALLY, WILL SUCH
CHANGES COME FROM OTHER COUNTRIES?
Kurihara:
As I said, Japan was defeated in the war and determined that it would
act in such a way that never again would there be such a thing. We were
the first country in the world to establish this. Since this is the
case, there can be no question of possessing nuclear capability, can
there? So that the nuclear question is one that is raised by the
American side. With regard to our own country, the nuclear question is
one that has been raised by America's own efforts.
[END OF TAPE 9122]
- Raw Footage
- Interview with Yuko Kurihara, 1987
- Contributing Organization
- WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/15-ng4gm81w4c
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/15-ng4gm81w4c).
- Description
- Episode Description
- Yuko Kurihara was the Japanese Minister for Defense in 1987. In the interview, he briefly discusses Japanese defense concerns, which are primarily affected by the interactions of the United States, the USSR and the People's Republic of China. Of particular concern is the Soviet Union, which dedicates between a quarter and a third of its military forces to the Far East. Asked if conventional forces are enough to defend the country, Mr. Kurihara responds that the Peace constitution dictates that Japan cannot possess nuclear weapons. He adds that the country is determined never to have another war.
- Date
- 1987-06-16
- Date
- 1987-06-16
- Asset type
- Raw Footage
- Subjects
- China; International Relations; Soviet Union; United States; nuclear weapons; Japan; World War II; Renunciation of war -- Japan; Self-defense (International law)
- Rights
- Rights Note:,Rights:,Rights Credit:WGBH Educational Foundation,Rights Type:All,Rights Coverage:,Rights Holder:WGBH Educational Foundation
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 00:05:05
- Credits
-
-
Interviewee2: Kurihara, Yuko, 1920-
Publisher: WGBH Educational Foundation
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WGBH
Identifier: 57332d7bbac7a02872a192ccda38b2b7c9f6c97b (ArtesiaDAM UOI_ID)
Format: video/quicktime
Color: Color
Duration: 00:03:05
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Yuko Kurihara, 1987,” 1987-06-16, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed October 9, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-ng4gm81w4c.
- MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Yuko Kurihara, 1987.” 1987-06-16. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. October 9, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-ng4gm81w4c>.
- APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Yuko Kurihara, 1987. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-ng4gm81w4c