[bonesmccoy]

The "Japanese remain Japanese"... what is that supposed to mean?

Exactly how would Japan even fund this kind of development program, even if they did have the materials?

[Ronin]

How much of the Japanese defense budget is transparent? Not very much from what I can see. A lot of the development can be disguised as other things. They have nuclear reactors, access to all the plutonium they need, their own satellite launchers and a tradition of military secrecy.

What I meant about "Japanese being Japanese" is that the Japanese tend to be very closed mouthed and nationalistic, even if they talk about it a lot less than other nations do. This is something that is easier to understand if you have lived in Japan for a while.