Nuclear latency

Nuclear latency is the condition of a country possessing the technology to quickly build nuclear weapons, without having actually yet done so. Because such latent capability is not proscribed by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, this is sometimes called the "Japan Option" (as a work-around to the treaty), as Japan is a clear case of a country with complete technical prowess to develop a nuclear weapon quickly, or as it is sometimes called "being one screwdriver's turn" from the bomb, as Japan is considered to have the materials, expertise and technical capacity to make a nuclear bomb at will. Another reputable case for nuclear latency is South Korea. Although not many people have analyzed the South Korean capability for nuclear weapon, it is quite possible that the ROK could make nuclear weapons in times of danger from the DPRK. Many South Koreans also support the obtainment of nuclear weapons to combat the threat of the North. Japan and Korea are both very similar in terms of nuclear latency and it is very possible that in a war both countries might procure a nuclear weapon.

This term has also been used to refer to the 1989 incident in which North Korea began invalidating the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Additional Resources
For more on the proliferation and debates surrounding nuclear weapons and their latency, visit the Woodrow Wilson Center's Nuclear Proliferation International History Project website: http://wilsoncenter.org/program/nuclear-proliferation-international-history-project.