Nagasaki on Sunday marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the Japanese city, as the mayor called nuclear weapons “absolute evil,” denounced growing support for nuclear deterrence and called on the Japanese government to adhere to its three postwar non-nuclear principles. The anniversary coincided with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ’s government revising the country’s defence policy to further bolster the military’s offensive capability. Speculation has risen about whether Takaichi, who supports nuclear dissuasion, may allow nuclear weapons to be brought into the country, going against the third non-nuclear principle. Mayor Shiro Suzuki said that while some countries argue the possession of nuclear weapons helps deter potential attackers, the 1945 US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had demonstrated that humans can cross the line. “The theory of nuclear deterrence is extremely dangerous and fragile. Nuclear weapons are not a ‘necessary evil’ but an ‘absolute evil,’ and can never coexist with humanity,” Suzuki said. “To all leaders of the nuclear states and nations relying on nuclear deterrence, you must face the reality that the more you rely on nuclear deterrence, the more you increase the risk of a nuclear war.” The US launched the Nagasaki attack on August 9, 1945, killing 70,000 by the end of that year, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima that killed 140,000. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, ending World War II and the nearly half-century of aggression across Asia. Representatives from more than 90 countries attended the ceremony at the Peace Park on Sunday and observed a moment of silence at 11:02 a.m. when a B-29 dropped a plutonium bomb, known as “Fat Man.” Suzuki singled out the Japanese government, demanding it uphold Japan’s war-renouncing Constitution, attend the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons review conference later this year and stick to the three non-nuclear principles. Takaichi supports the first two principles of not possessing and developing nuclear weapons. The prime minister, who attended Sunday’s ceremony, reiterated her policy of taking “a realistic and pragmatic approach” toward achieving a world without nuclear weapons. As she did in Hiroshima, Takaichi remained ambiguous about the three non-nuclear principles and only reiterated that Japan currently maintains the policy. Takaichi, in her speech at the ceremony, did not mention the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which Tokyo has refused to sign because Japan is under the protection of the US nuclear umbrella. ‘Discussion without a taboo’ Japan’s constitution renounces offensive military force, and successive governments have maintained a decades-old pledge not to possess nuclear weapons. But that commitment is now under pressure as East Asian neighbours – notably China – boost their military capabilities, while doubts persist about the reliability of Tokyo’s biggest security backer, the United States. Takaichi has refused to clarify whether she will maintain the stance known as the three non-nuclear principles, and Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called last month for a “discussion without a taboo” on the subject. In December, an unnamed senior administration official told local media in an off-the-record session suggesting that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. The remark was widely reported by major Japanese outlets including national broadcaster NHK and Asahi Shimbun, sparking public criticism. “If I look at it cynically, I can’t help but think that maybe she really wants to change” Japan’s anti-nuclear commitment, 82-year-old Satoshi Tanaka, a campaigner who survived the 1945 attack on Hiroshima, told AFP. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks by the US remains the only time that atomic weapons have been used in warfare. ‘New militarism’ The Takaichi administration is undertaking a major update of the national defence strategy this year in the face of China’s expanding military ambitions. The prime minister has already lifted Japan’s self-imposed ban on weapons exports and expanded defence spending, while pushing to amend the constitution. Those policies have drawn rebukes from China, which accuses Japan of “new militarism” and Takaichi of bending to the whims of the far right.
© AFP via JIJI Press
They have also unnerved survivors of the 1945 bombings, who have long helped shape Japan’s post-war pacifist political culture. Tanaka, the Hiroshima survivor, expressed frustration that current political leaders like Takaichi are focusing on military capacity at the expense of diplomacy. “There is so much talk about national security. What about building peace through diplomacy?” he said. Despite winning the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts, they are debating whether to continue their national association as their members grow older. As of March, Japan recognised just over 91,000 survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks, down from over 164,000 a decade ago. Their average age is 86.7. ‘It only worries me’ The focus has turned firmly towards the future of the non-nuclear principles, which date to 1967. Takaichi’s supporters argue that the final clause needs to be changed to allow the United States to bring nuclear arms to Japan and ensure regional deterrence. Hirofumi Yoshimura, head of the Japan Innovation Party, a coalition partner of Takaichi’s government, said the principle deserved discussion in the context of the US-Japan security alliance.
People pray at a mass held at Urakami Cathedral on August 9, 2026 in Nagasaki, marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing. © AFP via JIJI Press
“Of course, we need to work toward building a world without nuclear arms,” Yoshimura told reporters on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. “But when considering how to ensure the effectiveness of extended nuclear deterrence within the framework of our alliance with the United States, I believe we should…continue to adhere to the principle of ‘neither possessing nor producing’ nuclear weapons,” he said. “As for ‘not allowing them to be brought in,’ I do think there is some room for discussion on that point.” Critics argue that Takaichi’s hawkish approach to defence increase the danger for Japan. After Takaichi attended the annual ceremony in Hiroshima on Thursday, she sat down for a televised meeting with survivors. When pressed, Takaichi declined to offer clarity on whether she might change the country’s nuclear course. “Our nation currently adheres to the ‘three non-nuclear principles,'” she said in response to a direct question from Tanaka, without discussing what she might do next. “That,” Tanaka told AFP on Friday, “only explains the current situation. It says nothing about the future. “It only worries me more. I am concerned.” (FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)