Shift of Japan’s nuclear development mechanism

Japan is among the earlier countries to launch nuclear development program, though it never amounted much progress. The inception of the wartime research program that was aimed at military application was to a great extent an effort by scientists to continue basic research in nuclear physics. After the postwar occupation of Japan, research in nuclear physics resumed in academia while applied nuclear development for peaceful purposes came to be overseen by the Japanese government and industry. While two technological paths, independent development and domestication upon import prevailed simultaneously, it was the latter that wound up dominating Japan’s nuclear power generation, hindering certain aspects of Japan’s technology independence in nuclear development. Though Japan’s experience with nuclear weapons was unique and had ramifications in its postwar nuclear research and development, how its overall nuclear development mechanism evolved can help shed light on the historical contexts and connotations of China’s programs in this milieu.