JAPAN ATOMIC BOMB SURVIVORS WARN OF NUCLEAR WAR AFTER US-RUSSIA ARMS TREATY EXPIRES

JAPAN ATOMIC BOMB SURVIVORS WARN OF NUCLEAR WAR AFTER US-RUSSIA ARMS TREATY EXPIRES

Survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have expressed renewed fears of a possible nuclear war following the expiration of the last remaining arms control treaty between the United States and Russia.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which limited the number of deployed nuclear warheads held by Washington and Moscow, expired on February 5 after the United States did not act on a proposal by Russia to extend the agreement for an additional year.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo — a leading organisation representing atomic bomb survivors — said the global community had failed to grasp the urgency of the situation.

Tanaka warned that the absence of binding limits on nuclear arsenals could push the world closer to catastrophe.

“Given the current global climate, I feel that in the not-too-distant future, the world could slide into a nuclear war and head towards destruction,” the 93-year-old survivor said.

Nihon Hidankyo, a staunchly pacifist grassroots group advocating nuclear disarmament, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 for its decades-long campaign against nuclear weapons.

Tanaka cautioned that citizens of nuclear-armed countries often underestimate the dangers posed by their governments’ arsenals, sometimes viewing them as symbols of national strength.

“Some people may see nuclear weapons as proof of power or prestige. That way of thinking is a serious mistake,” he said.

The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima and about 74,000 in Nagasaki, many of whom later died from radiation-related illnesses. Japan surrendered shortly after, bringing World War II to an end. Those attacks remain the only instance of nuclear weapons being used in warfare.

International disarmament advocates have warned that the end of the New START treaty could trigger a renewed arms race between the world’s leading nuclear powers and encourage other nations, including China, to expand their nuclear capabilities.

The United States has maintained that any future arms control agreement must include China, which has a smaller but growing nuclear arsenal.

However, Japanese campaigners criticised Tokyo for failing to take concrete steps to promote arms control dialogue in East Asia or to actively engage China on nuclear disarmament.

“I see little or no effort to initiate meaningful dialogue with China,” said Hideo Asano, an activist with the Japan Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Responding to the concerns, the Japanese government said it would continue coordinating closely with the United States in pursuit of a new framework for nuclear arms control.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato said Japan remained committed to disarmament efforts involving key global powers, including the United States, Russia, and China.