RIETI Report March 10, 2023

Make 2023 a Historic Year for Disarmament and Non-proliferation: A test for Japan’s ability to have its voice heard as chair of the Security Council and G7

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Welcome to RIETI Report.
This bi-weekly newsletter will keep you updated with the recent columns, event information and research results by RIETI fellows and other leading economists in Japan and around the world.

In this edition, we present topics related to the roles that Japan can play in disarmament and non-proliferation. In 2023, Japan is holding the chairmanships of the United Nations Security Council and the G7. Consulting Fellow Maiko Takeuchi says that this provides a perfect opportunity for Japan to send a strong message regarding disarmament and non-proliferation.

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Editors of RIETI Report (Facebook: @en.RIETI / Twitter: @RIETIenglish / URL: https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/)

This month's featured article

Make 2023 a Historic Year for Disarmament and Non-proliferation: A test for Japan’s ability to have its voice heard as chair of the Security Council and G7

TAKEUCHI MaikoConsulting Fellow, RIETI

1. Nuclear Weapons as Protection for Future Generations?

Amid the escalating wave of missile test firings by North Korea, the world is witnessing truly spine-chilling events. When Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s supreme leader, visited a missile test site and when he attended a photo opportunity to celebrate a successful test with those credited with contributing to the success, he was accompanied by a young girl. According to some media reports, the girl is his daughter. The sight of a girl with an innocent smile, who could in the future serve in an important position in North Korea, attending events associated with the development of weapons of mass destruction, has come as a fresh reminder that militaristic values will be inherited by future generations of leaders in that country.

According to an analysis by the Japanese Defense Ministry, North Korea has already succeeded in developing nuclear weapons that are sufficiently small to be used as missile warheads and possesses the capability to attack Japan with nuclear missiles. Armed with that capability, North Korea test-fired missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, at an unprecedented frequency in 2022. The missile tests are not merely intended as a show of power or an act of provocation but are also for the purpose of developing the technology. North Korea is presumed to have further advanced its ballistic missile technology through this multitude of tests, which is a very serious problem for Japan’s foreign policy and national security. In Japan, there may be the sense that despite this situation, missiles actually raining down on the country is an unlikely prospect. However, there is always the risk of an accidental attack or a launch failure that results in a missile landing in Japanese territory. Even without actually using nuclear weapons, North Korea can threaten the use of nuclear weapons as a dreadful diplomatic weapon.

To read the full text:
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/a01_0713.html

Related article

“Economic Sanctions as a Tool of Economic Statecraft: Importance of Collaboration across the Boundaries of Competent Authorities and Industries”
TAKEUCHI Maiko (Consulting Fellow, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/s22_0016.html

Related event

“The Sword and the Shield: The economics of targeted sanctions”
Speaker: Daniel AHN (Global Fellow, Wilson Center)
Commentator: TAKEUCHI Maiko (Consulting Fellow, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/events/bbl/22072101.html

Our latest discussion papers

“Estimating Firm-level Production Functions with Spatial Dependence in Output, Input, and Productivity”
CHANG Pao-Li (Singapore Management University) / MAKIOKA Ryo (Research Associate, RIETI) / Bo Lin NG (Singapore Management University) / YANG Zhenlin (Singapore Management University)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/summary/23030010.html

“Measuring Science and Innovation Linkage Using Text Mining of Research Papers and Patent Information”
MOTOHASHI Kazuyuki (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / KOSHIBA Hitoshi (NISTEP / AIST) / IKEUCHI Kenta (Senior Fellow (Policy Economist), RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/summary/23030005.html

“Greening Vehicle Fleets: A structural analysis of scrappage programs during the financial crisis”
KITANO Taiju (Aoyama Gakuin University)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/summary/23030004.html

“Global Value Chains and Exchange Rate Pass-through into the Import Prices of Japanese Industries”
Fabien RONDEAU (Université de Renne) / YOSHIDA Yushi (Shiga University)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/summary/23030001.html

“Startup Growth and Conditioning Factors: A conceptual framework for a survey-based study”
HAMAGUCHI Nobuaki (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / João Carlos FERRAZ (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/summary/23020010.html

[List of discussion papers]
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/act_dp.html
[List of upcoming and past symposiums]
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/events/symposium.html
[List of upcoming and past BBL seminars]
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/events/bbl/

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