NAGASAKI - Survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been campaigning for a nuclear-free world, but their goal is increasingly facing challenges amid support for nuclear deterrence and calls for a debate over whether Japan should possess nuclear weapons.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said during her speeches in the commemorative ceremonies that Japan "is upholding" its long-held nonnuclear principles -- with the expression she used simply describing the current stance. This has prompted A-bomb victims and antinuclear groups for assurances that the principles will remain in place in the future.
The three nonnuclear principles, which prohibit the possession, production, or introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan, were declared before the Diet in 1967 by then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato. The principles have since become a national credo.
However, in late December, a source within the current prime minister's office said that Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons.
In July, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the country needs to engage in a debate over nuclear weapons, arguing that the country "cannot avoid touching" the issue. He cited France and Finland as countries pursuing policies aimed at strengthening nuclear deterrence.
Masashi Tani, secretary general of the Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs, also known as Gensuikin, warned, "A security environment based on nuclear deterrence only leads to an endless arms race," and went on to say, "We must not cast aside the lessons of the past 81 years."
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, a second-generation survivor of the atomic bomb, in an impassioned speech at the Nagasaki commemoration on Sunday, cautioned against a reality in which "the more you rely on nuclear deterrence, the more you increase the risk of a nuclear war."
But Heigo Sato, a security expert and professor at Takushoku University in Tokyo, said that putting a lid on nuclear deterrence without discussion amid rapid changes in the international security environment will have a lingering effect and the idea of nuclear possession "should be discussed."
Takaichi's government is reportedly considering rethinking the three principles.
Attributing the recent calls for Japan to debate possessing nuclear weapons in part to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Tani described such arguments as "simply thoughtless." He said that at the very least, Japan "should be against possessing nuclear weapons."
Jiro Hamasumi, secretary general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers, known as Nihon Hidankyo, echoed those sentiments, urging politicians considering the possession of nuclear weapons to "use their imagination to consider the kind of devastation that would result from their use."
Nihon Hidankyo and Gensuikin, two of the major antinuclear groups, have been urging the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Japan has not signed the treaty, as a complete prohibition would conflict with its policy of relying on U.S. nuclear deterrence for protection.
The decision not to join the treaty has given rise to calls for the government to at least attend its first review conference in November. Tani, however, believes that it is "not enough" for Japan to take part as an observer and called for it to sign and ratify the treaty.
Nihon Hidankyo has collected more than 3.6 million signatures in support of Japan joining the treaty, according to Hamasumi.
The world's nuclear powers have also yet to sign the treaty, which entered into force in 2021 and has been ratified or acceded to by over 70 states.
While ramping up efforts to prod the government to take more action in nuclear abolition, Gensuikin and Nihon Hidankyo are taking steps to pass on the memories of the tragedies to younger generations.
Handing down the stories of A-bomb survivors' accounts has become crucial over the years, with their numbers dwindling and the average age of such survivors, known as hibakusha, exceeding 86.
"I believe the hibakusha's role isn't done yet, but we have to start talking about how we can change our activities going forward," Hamasumi said recently. "There's a limit on continuing to rely on hibakusha."
Tani believes the coming years will be crucial, with the 100th anniversary of the atomic bombings less than two decades away, when most, if not, all of the survivors will have died.
Consequently, as part of its efforts to engage younger generations, Gensuikin held a session at the annual World Conference Commemorating the Anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings that was entirely planned and led by youth delegates in their 20s.
It was the first time youth delegates had taken charge of a segment of the conference.
"Everyone has to become a person directly involved. When we think about how the situation is no longer one where only certain people are affected, it means that both you and I are also involved," Tani said.
William Patrick White from the United States, now a close security ally of Japan, stressed the significance of such commemoration to deliver the message of working toward a nuclear-free world.
"It needs to be said all the time, even if it won't change much, the message needs to be spread," said the Boston native now living in Yamaguchi Prefecture and visiting Hiroshima on the day of the A-bomb memorial ceremony last Thursday. "It is more relevant today than ever."
