February 6, 2026

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) expressed concern that the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), a binding nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, on February 4 may bring about a new nuclear arms race.

Hidankyo, at an online press conference held jointly by the Japan NGO Network for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (JANA) on February 5, stressed the need for civil society to raise the urgent demand for nuclear weapons to be prohibited and abolished.

Hidankyo Representative Director Tanaka Terumi expressed his determination to make efforts to enhance the effectiveness and binding force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). He added, “I’ll continue to work to strengthen our movement in order to realize a Japan that will participate in the TPNW without delay and be devoted to work to eliminate the global nuclear stockpile.”

Hidankyo Assistant Secretary General Wada Masako pointed out that along with the U.S. and Russia, other nuclear-weapons states are signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). She appealed for the need to firmly maintain the global nuclear non-proliferation framework and tie it in with the TPNW.

JANA coordinator Asano Hideo emphasized the importance of the 2026 NPT Review Conference slated for this spring, and expressed his determination to urge the Japanese government to play a part in the conference.