BS Nippon TV Shinsou News “Russia’s Struggles: President Putin’s Decision to Use ‘Small-yield Nuclear Weapons’”

On October 6, 2022, Professor Nobumasa Akiyama appeared as a commentator on the news program Shinsou News, broadcast on the BS Nippon TV channel. There, he discussed the possibility of nuclear weapons being used in the four provinces that President Vladimir Putin recently designated as Russian territory. Professor Akiyama also used his expertise to explain the weapons implicated for use, such as low-yield nuclear weapons, in detail. Furthermore, he discussed with the other commentators the types of nuclear weapons that have been developed since the end of the Cold War and how effective the latest nuclear weapons might be in achieving military and political objectives. Finally, Professor Akiyama talked about the strategies used by both the US and Russia in the ongoing nuclear deterrence debate between the two countries, and stated his opinion on what is needed to prevent Russia from carrying out a nuclear attack.