THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 6, 2025 at 17:31 JST
HIROSHIMA—Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he has no plans to alter Japan’s three non-nuclear principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons in the nation.
He made the comment at a news conference in Hiroshima on Aug. 6 after attending the memorial ceremony marking the dropping of the atomic bomb 80 years ago.
In the past, Ishiba has called for revising the principles to allow the United States to bring in nuclear weapons to deter an attack by North Korea.
More recently, in calling for an Asian version of NATO, Ishiba has called for nuclear weapon sharing with the United States.
At the news conference, Ishiba said his past references to nuclear weapon sharing had a precondition of maintaining the three non-nuclear principles.
He added that it was important to improve communications with the United States regarding the decision-making process in connection with its nuclear deterrence policy.
Ishiba said that he had no intention for Japan to produce or possess nuclear weapons.
He said he would seek a world without nuclear weapons under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which he described as the only framework that both nuclear and non-nuclear powers participate in.
The prime minister was again asked if he planned to issue a personal message on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug. 15.
“What is needed now is a structure to ensure that war never again occurs,” Ishiba said. “I want to think about the message based on past statements issued by prime ministers.”
In his speech at the memorial ceremony, Ishiba quoted from the work of the late Shinoe Shoda, a Hiroshima resident, who wrote many tanka poems about the destruction caused by the atomic bombing.
Saying her poems described how horrific the situation was 80 years ago, Ishiba said there was a need to deepen and strengthen efforts to pass down the memory of the war.
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends the memorial ceremony on Aug. 6 marking the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. (Pool)
