Nuclear Weapons: Kill This Love

8 Feb 2025 | APLN

8 February 2025

This week, John Tilemann argues that the Asia-Pacific must take responsibility for addressing nuclear risks by advancing diplomatic engagement, confidence-building measures, and concrete arms control initiatives. We also revisit Akira Kawasaki and Keiko Nakamura’s essay on Japan’s potential response to a nuclear-armed South Korea, focusing on the role of disarmament education with a critical analysis of Japan’s practices.

As always, we share recent activities from our network, including analysis on ROK-China relations, the Doomsday Clock, India-Indonesia relations, and more.

Nuclear Weapons: Kill This Love

John Tilemann highlights that while nuclear energy and technology are expanding in the Asia-Pacific, the region remains dangerously enamored with nuclear weapons. To break this cycle, the Asia-Pacific must move beyond defence-focused responses and take leadership in advancing diplomatic solutions for nuclear risk reduction and disarmament.

Read the Korea Times column

No Domino: How Japan’s Experience Can Dissuade South Korea from Going Nuclear

Akira Kawasaki and Keiko Nakamura examine Japan’s potential response to a nuclear-armed South Korea and emphasise that, to counter pro-nuclear sentiments in South Korea, it is essential to advance disarmament education that fosters a shared understanding of nuclear risks, transcends historical grievances, and promotes a long-term vision for regional security.

Read the essay

Trump and the Cross-Strait Status Quo – views from Taiwan, ASEAN and the US

Join us on 20 February at 10AM KST for a webinar on how to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, under the second Trump administration. Kristy Hsu will discuss her APLN report with experts including Anne Hsiao, Ja Ian Chong, and APLN Senior Research Adviser Frank O’Donnell. The discussion will be moderated by APLN Policy Fellow Joel Petersson Ivre.

This webinar will be hosted by the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) in cooperation with the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research.

APLN has over 160 members from 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Each week we feature their latest contributions
to global and regional security debates.

See all member activities

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Chung-In Moon: China Important to South Korea in Every Field

Chung-in Moon, APLN Vice Chair, was interviewed by China Daily, where he commented that China’s visa-free policy for South Korean citizens reflects China’s growing openness and that South Korea has every reason to promote close cooperation with China in all fields.

Dr Manpreet Sethi – The Doomsday Clock

Manpreet Sethi, APLN Senior Research Adviser, was featured on BBC Radio’s live show Sunday with Steven Rainey, discussing the meaning of the Doomsday Clock, its current time, the deliberations behind moving it by one second, and the key takeaways.

Speaking in Code: Contextualizing Large Language Models in Southeast Asia

Elina Noor, Senior Fellow in the Asia Programme at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, co-wrote a paper with Binya Kanitroj, exploring how the development of Southeast Asia – specific LLMs intersects with the politics and particularities of languages in the region.

Republic Day Diplomacy: Decoding Indonesian President Subianto’s Delhi Sojourn

C. Uday Bhaskar, Director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi, wrote for The Quint and elaborated on what Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit means for India. He highlighted that it should serve as a catalyst to realise the vast potential of the bilateral relationship and that fast-tracking a direct Delhi-Jakarta flight would be an auspicious beginning.

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