This is actually a underestimation - Japan could make their own nuclear weapons on grand scale in just 2-3 months - their nuclear program size is just equally big compared to nuclear superpowers like Russia and US. This isn`t even necessary for both Japan and South Korea - in terms of conventional forces those two countries could smash North Korea to bits - but there is no point really to do that. North Korea just wants to gain attention, and some security - Kim is not stupid and learned a lesson from Iraq.

I am desapointed to see Russia joining the curry against North-Korea. Naturally the world will be safer if there was no nuclear armaments at all. Unfortunatly it is far from being the case. Beside, as said an american proverb: with such friends: the USA, Israel (to whom the bombs were given) who need ennemies. Unless all nations having nuclear armaments agree to destroy all their stocks, we will never achive a correct denuclearisation. This means that soon or later we will have the use of it or an accident; mankind only learn from catastrophy. It should be interesting before blaming North-Korea to ask Dow Chemical Company CEO what do they think of a World without nuclear armaments. Let us wait until July to see what good examples Russia and most of all the initiator of all WMD (the USA) will agree upon. The main problem is that armaments make great fortunes for peoples without morale or care for their own specie. To compound the problems, presently Russia is also becoming a cynic, free enterprise'system, then ready to be inslaved by money like the rest of us. Sorry Future Generations. Jean-Claude Meslin

Russia is a pragmatic country. Russia must retain nuclear weapons because in terms of conventional arms it is getting weaker and weaker and it must retain some power projection.

The risk that S. Korea and Japan will go nuclear is a perfect example of why we must NOT allow N. Korea to keep this up. I am glad to see that Russia seems to agree now.

As a citizen of the USA, I want to make comments here: 1. Dow Chemical does not make nuclear weapons. They manufacture NAPALM, another US invention, with Monsanto Corporation. 2. Westinghouse Corporation maufactures nuclear weapons,and nuclear reactor systems for the US Navy. ICBM Delivery systems are build by Boeing Intergrated Defense Systems, Lockheed Missiles and Space, and Raytheon Corporation.. 3. The Israeli arsenal is a tactical yield 5-10 megatons, not inter-continental high-yeild systems greater than 100 Megatons as the US and Russia systems. Google US and RUSSIA ICBM systems. 100 megatons is 20 times larger than the bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. and are designed for maximum effect against large urban targets such as the megalopolis between Boston and Washington, DC. 1/4 of the US population of 380 million people live in that dense urban corridor 500 miles long and 150 miles wide. 4. Both the governments of Russia and the United States are working to eliminate these weapons, this will a long and difficul, which is much overdue. The majority of people in the world see the old bomb test archive footage from Russia, the United States, and France and do not realize that over 60 years the technology is horribly devastating over enornous areas not just confined to regions around cities any longer. 5.It would be a horrible mistake for Japan and South Korea to engage in the manufacturing of such weaponry, the United States has mutual defense treaties with both these countries.As a result, they do not have to develop these types of weapons. 6. Mr. Melsin, recall your history, The United States developed the "Bomb" as result of the heavy water (H30) experiments of Nazi Germany during WWII. This was required to purify uranium oxide into bomb grade material, and with the V2 and work on the V3 rocket systems....the ambitions of Nazi Germany were very clear..build a long-range rocket delivery system with a weapon of emmense power.