Representatives of four atomic bomb survivor groups from Nagasaki issued a protest statement condemning remarks that Tokyo should possess nuclear weapons. The protest comes after the statement by the security official, under the government led by Takaichi, that Japan should possess nuclear weapons, inciting backlash from locals, including atomic bomb survivors.

At a press conference held yesterday, the groups said such claims were unacceptable and called on the Japanese government to uphold the country’s three Non-Nuclear Principles, which prohibit possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear arms. The statement urged the government to abandon a security policy that relies on nuclear deterrence. Head of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, Shigemitsu Tanaka, said Japan must never be allowed to become a perpetrator of nuclear harm and stressed the need to curb any such trend.