Another war on the Korean Peninsula — this time a nuclear one — is beginning to look more possible than ever before, stirring anxiety in Japan and prompting debate over how it should respond.
Amid the crisis, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has maintained close contact with U.S. President Donald Trump, holding teleconferences at an unprecedented rate and fully supporting his threat to use the military option if necessary.
Abe's full support for Trump has caused concern among Japanese liberals dedicated to the war-renouncing Constitution. But at the same time, few alternatives to backing its security ally the United States have actually been proposed.