Nuclear latency

Takahama Nuclear Power Plant in Takahama, Japan, and Arak Nuclear Complex in Arak, Iran.

Nuclear latency or a nuclear threshold state is the condition of a country possessing all the technology, expertise and infrastructure needed to quickly develop nuclear weapons, without having actually yet done so.[1] Japan is considered a "paranuclear" state, with complete technical prowess to develop a nuclear weapon quickly,[2][3] and is sometimes called being "one screwdriver's turn" from the bomb, as it is considered to have the materials and technical capacity to make a nuclear weapon at will.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Alongside Japan, Iran is also considered a nuclear threshold state,[10][11][12][13] and has been described being "a hop, skip, and a jump away" from developing nuclear weapons,[14][15][16] with its advanced nuclear program capable of producing fissile material for a bomb in a matter of days if weaponized.[17][18][19] Other notable nuclear threshold states are Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil.[20][21][22]

  1. ^ Panofsky, Wolfgang K. H. (June 14, 2007). "Capability versus intent: The latent threat of nuclear proliferation". The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Archived from the original on 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
  2. ^ Cole, Juan (2009-10-07). "Does Iran really want the bomb? Perhaps what Iran wants is the ability to produce a nuclear weapon fast, rather than have a standing arsenal". Salon. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  3. ^ "Hypothesis: Iran Seeks the 'Japan Option'". Slate. 2009-10-07. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11.
  4. ^ Demetriou, Danielle (20 April 2009). "Japan 'should develop nuclear weapons' to counter North Korea threat". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  5. ^ Sakamaki, Sachiko (28 May 2009). "North Korean Atomic Tests Lift Lid on Japan's Nuclear 'Taboo'". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  6. ^ John H. Large (May 2, 2005). "THE ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY IN THE AREA OF NORTH EAST ASIA (KOREAN PENINSULAR AND JAPAN)" (PDF). R3126-A1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-10.
  7. ^ "Nuclear Scholars Initiative 2010: Recap of Seminar Four". CSIS. Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  8. ^ Brumfiel, Geoff (November 2004). "Nuclear proliferation special: We have the technology". Nature. 432-437. 432 (7016): 432–7. Bibcode:2004Natur.432..432B. doi:10.1038/432432a. PMID 15565123. S2CID 4354223.
  9. ^ Chester Dawson (28 October 2011). "In Japan, Provocative Case for Staying Nuclear". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  10. ^ Azodi, Sina (2024-07-24). "Iran's Nuclear Crisis Has No Military Solution". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  11. ^ Sonnenfeld, Jeffrey; Boehler, Adam (2023-12-09). "Amid the Israel-Hamas War, Iran Marches Towards Nuclear Breakout". TIME. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  12. ^ Brewer, Eric (2024-06-25). "Iran's New Nuclear Threat". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  13. ^ "The Hunt: Iran just days away from becoming a nuclear power". WTOP News. 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  14. ^ Centre for Independent Studies (2024-05-17). Why Israel is in deep trouble: John Mearsheimer with Tom Switzer. Retrieved 2024-07-10 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Walt, Stephen M. (2024-06-05). "The Day After Iran Gets the Bomb". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  16. ^ "Iran Could Make Fuel for Nuclear Bomb in Less Than 2 Weeks, Milley Says". Voice of America. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  17. ^ Hansler, Jennifer (2023-02-28). "Top US Defense official says Iran could produce 'one bomb's worth of fissile material' in 'about 12 days' | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  18. ^ "Iran Could Make Fuel for Nuclear Bomb in Less Than 2 Weeks, Milley Says". Voice of America. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  19. ^ "Iran puts its nuclear programme beyond the reach of American bombs". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  20. ^ "Almost nuclear: Introducing the Nuclear Latency dataset" (PDF). Conflit Management And Peace Science: 446. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  21. ^ "Nuclear Weapons Archive, 7.5 nuclear capable states".
  22. ^ Raymond, Camille (2021-12-15). "Canada's Role in the New Nuclear Landscape". Network for Strategic Analysis (NSA). Retrieved 2024-07-10.