What If Japan Builds Atomic Weapons To Counter North Korea?

Japan's acquisition of a nuclear weapons for a MAD defense against North Korea would be a momentous step for the Pacific region. I have already discussed how Obama's policies implicitly fold up the American umbrella of protection around the world, destabilizing each region from which its protection is withdrawn. It is no avail to point out that some of Obama's rhetoric appears to support steadfast maintenance of the US extended deterrence; for Obama's other policies, his deeds, and his budget declare emphatically otherwise. Now think about Japan's abandonment of its official pacifism, forced upon it by the United States in 1945. The Pacific War in the second world war is still in living memory of some of the leadership and many people in the national populations that saw horrific combat--China and North Korea, which were conquered by Japan and suffered terrible cruelty, for which Japan has not direct apologized, and the nations of southeast Asia, and the islands which the US had to capture for its "march on Tokyo". Memories are long. Japan's re-militarization would re-ignite the smoking embers of resentment, national injury, and desire for revenge. At the same time, a regional alliance between Japan, South Korea, and Australia would convince China that it was being isolated. China would be compelled to ramp up its military. All these guns pointing at one another, in a world of mutual suspicion and latent hostility, is a far higher level of danger than we have experienced since the post-WWI era. The possibility of mis-steps in international relations is far more dangerous in this situation that it has been since the mid-1950s when the Korean War ended. Obama's ideological delusions are not leading us and the rest of the world into a twenty first century era of peace. Obama is leading us back a hundred years to a highly dangerous, deteriorating, inherently unstable international order. Or should I say, disorder?