July 30 & 31, 2025

About 80 Hiroshima A-bomb survivors (Hibakusha) and peace activists on July 29 staged a protest against Japan’s Self-Defense Forces having urged the U.S. miliary to use “nuclear threats” to counter China.

Responding to a call from the Hiroshima Prefectural Council against A and H Bombs (Hiroshima Gensuikyo) and the Hiroshima Federation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), the 80 protesters gathered in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima City and demanded that the Japanese and U.S. governments cease discussions regarding the use of nuclear weapons and refrain from making their “nuclear threats.” Japanese Communist Party local assemblypersons joined in this protest.

According to media reports on July 28, the Japan-U.S. joint computer simulation exercise “Keen Edge” in preparation for a “Taiwan contingency” took place in February last year at the central command post located underground at the Defense Ministry office building in Tokyo. During the exercise, Chief of SDF Joint Staff Yoshida Yoshihide repeatedly urged then U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander John Aquilino to respond to potential China’s nuclear threats with U.S. nuclear threats. This information was revealed through interviews with several government officials.

Sakuma Kunihiko of Hiroshima Hidankyo said, “With the global momentum for nuclear disarmament increasing, we cannot tolerate that Japan, the only country to have suffered from the wartime use of nuclear weapons, is actually engaging in such discussions.” Kanbe Yasushi of Hiroshima Gensuikyo said, “It is unbelievable that the SDF encouraged the U.S. military to use nuclear threats. The chief of the SDF Joint Staff should retract his suggestion.”

Japanese Communist Party members of the House of Councillors Yamazoe Taku, Hihi Sohei, and Shirakawa Yoko on July 30 asked the government if the report was true. A Defense Ministry official reiterated the position stated by Defense Minister Nakatani Gen denying the report as “groundless” at a press conference the previous day.

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In reaction to media reports, three organizations of A-bomb survivors (Hibakusha) in Niigata Prefecture on July 29 issued a statement in protest which criticizes the top SDF officer’s comment as being unacceptable as it conjures up images of the Imperial military’s independent actions that led to a disastrous outcome. It also stated that in the first place, it is unforgivable for the Japanese government to hold discussions that envisage the possible use of nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, the statement referred to the fact that in the July 20 House of Councillors election campaign, some candidates, including those who ran on the far-right “Sanseito” party ticket, demanded that Japan arm itself with nuclear weapons. The statement condemned those people for trampling on Hibakusha’s earnest desire for the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

Explaining the reason for releasing the statement, Akai Sumiharu, representative director of the Niigata Prefectural Council against A and H Bombs (Niigata Gensuikyo), said that the three organizations’ statement is an appeal to the public to never forget the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 80 years ago and to raise their voices in opposition to pro-nuclear weapons sentiments.