Abstract

Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles were adopted by a resolution of the Diet in 1971. The national policy declaring that Japan will “not possess, not produce, and not allow the introduction of nuclear weapons” has repeatedly been criticized as having been hollowed out, particularly in the context of Japan’s relations with the United States. Japan has also consistently taken a cautious stance toward international efforts to prohibit the use of nuclear weapons. Tracing the political developments surrounding the establishment and subsequent treatment of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, this book reexamines Japan’s attitudes and policies toward nuclear weapons.

Author’s Information

Toshiya Umehara, born in 1964, is a professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute, Hiroshima City University. He joined the Asahi Shimbun in 1988, starting at the Nagasaki bureau. He worked in international reporting, serving as head of the European bureau, before leaving the company in 2021 as an editorial writer. He holds a Master's degree in War Studies from King's College London and a Doctoral degree in Peace Studies from the Graduate School of Peace Studies, Hiroshima City University. His research areas include international relations, security and disarmament/non-nuclear norms, and media studies of war and peace. His publications include "A Post-War Political History of Nuclear Issues in Japan" (Minerva Shobo) and a translation of Tom Phuong Le's "Japan: Aging and Maturing Peace" (Misuzu Shobo).