For your Japan question, it was recommended by Japanese officials after the restoration of the Japanese Government post-World War II that there be
ZERO chance for another Japanese take over of any nation by disabling its military; the United States agreed to it, naturally.
It is known as Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.
ARTICLE 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign
right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. (2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding
paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be
recognized.
In later years, however, the Japanese Government found a loophole in their Constitution. They then founded the Japanese Self-Defense Force, or JSDF.
Over the years they have been contesting the clause above, and most of the time they were denied the ability to create certain weapons.
However, with the NK tension, as well as the occasional bickering from China or SK, the Japanese Ministry of Defense is pushing for a stronger defense
force. They currently have a $44 Billion military budget, which is nothing compared to our $651 Billion, which is first in the world.
Why does the US condemm every God damm nation on Earth from creating nukes, when we are the only ones to have used them, and we have them
stockpiled. I can understand why people hate us, bunch of hypocrites.
Some would say that it is to prevent yet another cataclysmic disaster from happening like the one on Japanese soil, while others would call the United
States a bunch of hypocrites. We ARE hypocrites, but our cause to prevent more nuclear weapons from being proliferated is just. I support our actions
to keep the nukes out of the wrong hands even though we have them, and that could still be the wrong hands to some people.
[edit on 21-8-2009 by Bushido Kanji]