Nobel-winning A-bomb survivors slam Japan PM’s nuclear policy review

Japan's Nobel-winning atomic bomb survivors group slammed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's bid to review the country's three non-nuclear weapon principles, local media reported on Thursday.

Nihon Hidankyo group said in a statement that it "strongly protests overturning" of the government's long-held position of not possessing, producing, or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons, and that it is initiating a debate on revising it, according to Kyodo News.

The group said that it "cannot allow nuclear arms to be brought into Japan or let the country become a base for nuclear war or a target of nuclear attacks."

According to media reports, Takaichi is considering a review of the principles on non-nuclear weapons.

Japan has three non-nuclear principles that prohibit the possession, production, or introduction of nuclear weapons during an emergency.

If the principles are changed, it will represent a significant shift in the country's security policy since then-Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato declared the resolution of Three Non-Nuclear Principles in parliament in 1967.

On Thursday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party launched discussions on revising the security strategy and related documents and plans to compile a set of proposals as early as next spring.

The government is expected to revise its National Security Strategy, long-term policy guideline, and two other documents by the end of 2026, all last revised in 2022.