Japan advances nuclear weapons program amid Hiroshima‑Nagasaki remembrance

Eighty‑one years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the memory of those attacks remains a focal point in global nuclear debates. More than 12,000 nuclear warheads are still held worldwide, and the humanitarian impact of the 1945 bombings—approximately 140,000 deaths in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki by the end of that year—continues to shape discussions on disarmament and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

In Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pushing a policy shift that could see the country acquire its own nuclear warheads. The move involves revising Japan’s pacifist constitution, raising the defence budget to about 2 % of GDP with a target of 3.5 %, restarting arms exports to 17 nations, and advancing the construction of a new aircraft carrier. These steps signal a significant departure from Japan’s post‑war non‑nuclear stance and raise concerns about regional security and nuclear proliferation.