Japanese Attitudes Toward Nuclear Arms

Abstract

More than twice in the relatively short history of the nuclear age, Japan has suffered the lethal effects of nuclear explosions, and as a result both antiwar and anti-nuclear weapons sentiments have been very strong. Will these attitudes persist, or are they subject to change as the generations having direct experience with war and its aftermath are gradually replaced by postwar youth? Professor Tanaka reports two approaches to this problem: one, a survey of students' expectations concerning Japanese nuclear development; the second, a study of students' changing evaluations of this development. The author is Professor of Social Psychology and Communications in the Department of Political Science, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, and at the time of writing this article was Visiting Professor at the Annenberg School of Communications and Senior Research Associate for International Studies in Values in Politics at the University of Pennsylvania.