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Nagasaki Mayor Calls Nuclear Weapons 'Absolute Evil' as Debate Over Japan's Non‑Nuclear Policy Intensifies

The appeal presses Tokyo at a pivotal moment before year‑end defense policy revisions and the November review of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Overview

  • On Sunday at the 81st Nagasaki memorial, Mayor Shiro Suzuki called nuclear weapons an "absolute evil" and warned that reliance on deterrence increases the risk of nuclear war.
  • Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended the ceremony and said Japan "is upholding" the three non‑nuclear principles but declined to commit to how the policy might be worded in future revisions.
  • Nihon Hidankyo used a 70th‑anniversary event in Nagasaki to renew its abolition pledge while survivors pressed the government to formally recognize and expand support for unrecognized hibakusha.
  • The national debate over the third non‑nuclear principle has escalated as Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has called for a taboo‑free discussion and the government prepares major defense‑policy updates by year‑end.
  • Global developments — the failed NPT review in May, UN warnings about growing nuclear risks, and major powers' arsenal modernization — sharpen the stakes of the upcoming November TPNW review for Japan's diplomatic stance.