Nagasaki Mayor Urges Japan to Keep 3 Non-Nuclear Principles at 81st Bombing Anniversary
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 9
Nagasaki Mayor Urges Japan to Keep 3 Non-Nuclear Principles at 81st Bombing Anniversary
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 9
Summary
Nagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing as Mayor Shiro Suzuki called nuclear weapons “absolute evil” and urged Tokyo to uphold Japan’s three non-nuclear principles.
That appeal came as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government opens a broader security debate, with the premier refusing to say whether the principles will remain unchanged and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi backing taboo-free discussion.
China’s military buildup and doubts about the reliability of the U.S. security umbrella are driving pressure to reconsider Japan’s long-standing pacifist stance, including whether U.S. nuclear arms could be brought into the country.
Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have pushed back, warning that the government’s defense shift risks eroding a postwar anti-nuclear consensus as the recognized survivor population has fallen to just over 91,000, with an average age of 86.7.