Prime Minister Takaichi Faces Criticism Over Nuclear Principles

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended a memorial ceremony in Hiroshima on August 6 to mark the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing. While she acknowledged that Japan upholds the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, she declined to pledge that the government would maintain these principles in the future.

This ambiguity follows reports that the Takaichi administration is considering revising the principle against permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons. Such changes are reportedly part of upcoming revisions to three key security documents. Following the ceremony, Takaichi declined to specify if the principles would remain in the revised texts, stating it was "premature to comment on the final form of the wording" while work continues before the year-end.

Opposition leaders reacted critically to the address. Junya Ogawa, leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, criticized the remarks for lacking a firm commitment to non-nuclear principles. In contrast, Yuichiro Tamaki of the Democratic Party for the People characterized the Prime Minister's language as a reiteration of the government's long-standing position. Separately, Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi called for nuclear-related policies to be discussed without taboo.