The Impact of Nuclear Weapon on Alliances: a Case Study on DPRK’s Nuclear Issue on Japan-U.S. Alliance

　　Author: Zhang Jingquan, Associate Professor, Institute of International Politics, Northeast Asian Studies Academy, Jilin University

　　Abstract: The issue of nuclear weapon affects alliance formation by altering the capacity and the cognition of “threat”. The proliferation of nuclear weapons will lead to structural changes in alliances. Changes to the possession of nuclear weapons, their deployment and nature of deterrence will constantly shape the cognition of threat amongst alliance actors, which in turn will affect their foreign policies. Definition and credibility of the respective nuclear protection in each alliance, the shared responsibilities towards the deployment of nuclear weapons, policy consultation processes on external nuclear issues, and the presence of international nuclear security regime will affect mutual confidence between allied partners. From this perspective, on the DPRK’s nuclear issue, JapanU.S. alliance exhibits several layers of tensions between two allies. On the surface, the foreign policies of the two countries appear to diverge from the other; beneath that surface is a constant wavering of mutual confidence between the two parties; at the core, the JapanU.S. alliance structure is moving towards “equalization” of the involved parties.