Former Japanese prime minister calls for trilateral nuclear framework with Korea, U.S.
Published: 08 Apr. 2026, 17:03
Updated: 08 Apr. 2026, 22:05
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- SEO JI-EUN
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during the opening session of the Asan Plenum forum, hosted by the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on April 8. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/08/41cdb9be-ae12-428b-bfca-3817f906de48.jpg)
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during the opening session of the Asan Plenum forum, hosted by the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on April 8. [NEWS1]
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called Wednesday for the "urgent" creation of a permanent trilateral nuclear consultative framework among South Korea, the United States and Japan, arguing that conventional deterrence has become ineffective in the face of North Korea's advancing nuclear capabilities.
Ishiba made the remarks during his keynote address at the Asan Plenum 2026, the annual international security forum hosted by the nonprofit think tank Asan Institute for Policy Studies at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. This year's forum took place under the theme "Modernizing Alliances."
"There is no mechanism of controlled mutual deterrence between the United States and North Korea such as the mutually assured destruction (MAD) that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union," Ishiba said through an interpreter.
He argued that because Pyongyang places regime survival above all other considerations, the threat of retaliation carries little weight.
"Punitive or retaliatory deterrence is unlikely to function against such a country," he said, urging allies to pivot instead toward what he called "denial deterrence" — the physical capability to intercept and neutralize incoming attacks before they reach their targets.
Acknowledging growing public sentiment in South Korea in favor of an independent nuclear deterrent — citing an Asan institute poll in which support topped 70 percent — Ishiba said existing bilateral extended deterrence arrangements were no longer sufficient to ease regional anxieties.
He proposed a standing three-way framework in which South Korea, the United States and Japan could hold ongoing consultations on nuclear strategy and communication.
"To enhance this credibility, I believe we should urgently establish a framework for ongoing discussion and communication not only between the two countries but also among the three countries [...] always to discuss and to communicate about this," he said.
The proposal represents a significant escalation beyond the 2023 Washington Declaration, under which Washington and Seoul established a bilateral consultative mechanism on nuclear planning. Ishiba's framework would bring Tokyo formally into that conversation for the first time.
The former prime minister also raised questions about South Korea's ambitions to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, saying Tokyo was watching the debate closely and wanted to understand its strategic intent — including how Seoul envisions operating such vessels in relation to both North Korean and Chinese submarine activity, and how Beijing might respond.
Ishiba also highlighted what he described as the most dangerous scenario facing the region: a simultaneous crisis on the Korean Peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait.
"It is entirely conceivable that North Korea might take some action to divert U.S. forces, which would also serve China's interests," he said. "We must deepen our strategic cooperation at all costs to avoid such a situation."
![Participants attend the Asan Plenum 2026, hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on April 8. [ASAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/08/07e0c8cd-9de7-4e36-b1fe-1a5d090256c9.jpg)
Participants attend the Asan Plenum 2026, hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on April 8. [ASAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES]
Addressing the immediate economic threat, Ishiba also called for a united front at the United Nations to tackle the ongoing energy blockade.
"The fighting in Iran must be brought to an end as soon as possible [...] it is a threat to world peace," he said, stressing that Seoul and Tokyo should jointly "base our actions on UN resolutions" to ensure the stability of global oil supplies.
Ishiba, a sitting member of Japan's House of Representatives and one of Tokyo's most prominent pro-Korea politicians, met President Lee Jae Myung for a working lunch later in the day.
![South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, greets former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of their meeting over a luncheon at the Blue House in central Seoul on April 8. [THE BLUE HOUSE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/08/fd395bcb-b8dc-4744-bd73-813abc6bb97b.jpg)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, greets former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of their meeting over a luncheon at the Blue House in central Seoul on April 8. [THE BLUE HOUSE]
Lee and Ishiba, as then-prime minister, had worked to revitalize summit-level "shuttle diplomacy" between Seoul and Tokyo, resulting in holding three summits together and, in 2024, the two countries issued their first joint summit statement in 17 years.
Addressing the forum via video message, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned against what he called "burden shifting" — a line of thinking he said suggested Washington had limited stakes in conflicts abroad.
"It suggests abdication, not collective responsibility," Wicker said. "And if there are any words to describe the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, those words are 'collective responsibility.'"
Wicker also stressed that despite international attention being consumed by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, China remained America's foremost strategic challenge.
"China is challenging the global balance of power, and we cannot ignore the implications of Xi Jinping's aggression," he said.
The Asan Plenum 2026 brought together senior government officials, military leaders and policy experts from across the region to discuss the evolving security environment and the future of alliance frameworks.
The institute during Wednesday's plenum introduced Make Alliances Great Again (MAGA) as a new paradigm for alliance modernization.
"Alliance modernization must account for the reality that the United States is rethinking its approach to the world," MJ Chung, founder and honorary chairman of the Asan institute, said in his welcoming remarks. "Modernization should not be allowed to transform into alliance termination."
"I hope my calls for nuclear sovereignty through nuclear weapons sharing and redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons and collective security measures will ensure that the U.S.-led alliance system can be modernized to successfully endure for another 80 years," Chung said.
BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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