On the Occasion of the 80th Anniversary of the A-bombing,
Breaking Free from the Theory of Nuclear Deterrence
to Join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

1. 　August 1945 marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States on August 6 and 9, respectively. During these 80 years, nuclear weapons have not been used in actual warfare, and the norm of non-use of nuclear weapons, or the "nuclear taboo," has been maintained through the efforts of hibakusha and other civil society groups. Last October, Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to the establishment of the "nuclear taboo" by telling the reality of the atomic bombings and calling for nuclear abolition.
   　On the other hand, there are still about 12,000 nuclear weapons in the world, of which about 4,000 are deployed in actual warfare. The threat of nuclear weapons by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine and hints of nuclear use by Israeli officials have prompted the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to advance the Doomsday Clock one second from last year to 89 seconds to the "apocalypse.” The danger of the use of nuclear weapons has never been greater.
   　 Furthermore, Israel's genocide against the Gaza Strip and its bombing of Iran's capital and nuclear facilities are illegal uses of force that ignore the UN Charter and international law. Israel's pre-emptive strikes have invited retaliatory strikes from the Iranian side, and the world is falling into an unpredictable situation.
2. 　Regarding the use of nuclear weapons, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) states that the use of nuclear weapons would cause "devastation …upon all mankind" and the Nuclear Weapons Convention states that the use of nuclear weapons would have "catastrophic humanitarian consequences.” The leaders of the five nuclear powers have also stated that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” Nevertheless, under the pretext of "national security," the nuclear weapon states and nuclear-dependent states rely on "nuclear deterrence," which presupposes the possession and use of nuclear weapons. The wishes of the Hibakusha, who have been calling for "nuclear weapons and mankind cannot coexist," are being ignored, and the abolition of nuclear weapons is being pushed to the ultimate goal.
3. 　There are reports that U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who visited Hiroshima in June of this year, called for nuclear abolition, but there has been no movement toward a change in U.S. nuclear policy. The biggest reason why the nuclear weapon states are reluctant to give up their nuclear weapons is their policy of nuclear deterrence, in which they rely on nuclear weapons for their own security. The theory of nuclear deterrence is based on the premise that nuclear weapons must be used to deter the movements of other nations, and if other nations take the same position, it will lead to an endless nuclear arms race. This is the "security dilemma.”
   　There is no guarantee that the balance will not be upset and deterrence will not collapse. And since the risk of their use, not only intentionally but also by accident or miscalculation, cannot be ruled out, we are constantly exposed to "catastrophic humanitarian consequences.”
4. 　As of September 2024, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has 94 signatories and 73 ratifiers, and is steadily spreading. The Third Meeting of the States Parties to the TPNW, held in March of this year, adopted a declaration that further commits to a world without nuclear weapons, criticizing the "the fallacy of nuclear deterrence" as new "scientific evidence" supports the devastating humanitarian consequences and risks posed by nuclear weapons. It clarified from a scientific perspective that the theory of nuclear deterrence as a security policy is extremely dangerous, and called for a departure from the nuclear deterrence paradigm.
5. 　The "National Security Strategy" formulated in December 2022, which is considered the " supreme national security policy document ," adopts a security policy that relies on the nation-wide defense force and U.S. nuclear weapons. It says that this is the path to a "world of hope.” However, it is a path that leads to "catastrophic humanitarian consequences.”
   　What we must choose is a world in which " we [can] preserve our security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace-loving peoples of the world " and in which "all peoples of the world [can] live in peace, free from fear and want" (Preamble to the Constitution of Japan).
   　In November 1946, the Japanese government recognized that "once war breaks out, humanity will be disregarded, individual dignity and basic human rights will be violated, and civilization will be obliterated.” It should be recalled that Article 9 of the Constitution was enacted based on the recognition that "the advent of the atomic bomb has reached a critical stage that will either expand the possibilities of war or, conversely, bring an end to the causes of war" (Commentary on the New Constitution).
6. 　On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, we are determined to create "a world without nuclear weapons and without war.” To this end, we call on the Japanese government to quickly break away from nuclear deterrence and join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
   　And we ourselves pledge to act honestly as members of civil society, making maximum use of the Japanese Constitution, which is based on a thoroughgoing non-military peace philosophy in the "nuclear age," and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which rejects the "theory of nuclear deterrence.”

June 20, 2025
Kenichi Okubo
President, Japan Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms