Japan Revisits Its Postwar Pacifism Amid Regional Security Concerns

Today, nine countries possess nuclear arsenals capable of instantaneously devastating populated areas. However, these weapons have only been deployed twice in history—both instances occurring 80 years ago when the technology was in its nascent stages and monopolized by a single nation.

On August 6, 1945, during the final phase of World War II, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a city in western Japan. The bomber Enola Gay released the 9,700-pound bomb, which exploded nearly 2,000 feet above the city, producing an enormous mushroom cloud and scorching temperatures reaching approximately 7,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The immediate blast and subsequent radiation resulted in the deaths of an estimated 140,000 people by the end of that year.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was deployed over Nagasaki, located to the southwest, killing an additional 70,000 individuals. The devastation of these two cities precipitated Japan’s surrender, bringing an end to its aggressive military expansion. Yet, these bombings also marked the dawn of an era where human technology could unleash unprecedented destruction on a global scale.

In the decades following the war, Hiroshima was reconstructed and became a symbol of peace advocacy. Survivors of the atomic bombings have tirelessly campaigned for nuclear disarmament worldwide. However, after 80 years, this vision is increasingly challenged. With three neighboring countries—Russia, China, and North Korea—maintaining nuclear weapons, and Japan relying heavily on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for protection, public sentiment is shifting. Heightened tensions in the Pacific and fading personal memories of nuclear devastation have led more Japanese citizens to reconsider the country’s steadfast pacifist stance.

What led Japan to adopt an unwavering pacifist policy after World War II?

The policy was largely imposed by the victorious United States. Given Japan’s aggressive military campaigns across Asia, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and its willingness to sacrifice vast numbers of soldiers, the U.S. insisted that Japan renounce war permanently to prevent future conflicts.