On August 6 and 9, 1945, the attacks claimed more than 250,000 lives, according to estimates, both directly and through the devastating long-term effects of radiation sickness and burns.
Joint Appeal by Austrian Political Leaders
In Austria, representatives of various political parties and religious groups unanimously expressed concern over the erosion of international arms control. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) issued a stark warning against relying on nuclear deterrence: “Nuclear weapons increase the risk of a catastrophe with incalculable humanitarian consequences—they do not create security. Lasting security can only be achieved through diplomacy.” She pointed to alarming developments, including the expiration of the New START Treaty, the rhetoric from Russia and North Korea, and the escalation of geopolitical risks.
SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, as well as foreign policy spokespeople Petra Bayr (SPÖ) and Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP), also emphasized the urgent political responsibility. Lopatka called the commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki a “reminder and a call to political action for the future.” Bayr highlighted a meeting with Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow, who has been advocating for a nuclear-free world for decades, and called for disarmament to be given top priority on the agenda from Vienna to New York.
Matthias Geist, a Protestant superintendent in Vienna, sharply criticized attempts to justify war or armament on religious grounds, as reported by ORF. Referring to statements by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, Geist called it “alarming and absurd” to portray nuclear weapons as a shield for the faith: “The God of Jesus Christ does not sanctify weapons of mass destruction.” Geist urged Europe to place greater emphasis on reconciliation, international law, and humanitarian protection.
New Debate Over Japan’s Peace Doctrine
While calls for disarmament are growing louder internationally, a debate is emerging in Japan itself over the country’s future course, as reported by Euronews. In light of China’s military buildup and uncertainty regarding the U.S. security pledge, voices within parts of the ruling conservative bloc are growing in favor of revising the country’s security strategy.
Although Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed at the official commemorative events the country’s adherence to the “three non-nuclear principles” in effect since 1967 (no possession, no production, and no stationing of nuclear weapons in the country), However, within the governing coalition—for example, by Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and coalition partner Hirofumi Yoshimura—there is public discussion about softening the principle prohibiting the stationing of foreign nuclear weapons to bolster the extended U.S. deterrent.
These discussions are met with deep horror by survivors of the disasters, the so-called hibakusha. With an average age now exceeding 86, the number of eyewitnesses is dwindling rapidly—there are still around 91,000 recognized survivors worldwide.
A Look at the Review Conferences
As reported by Sumikai, at the central commemoration in Nagasaki, Mayor Shiro Suzuki condemned the theory of nuclear deterrence as “extremely dangerous and fragile” and described nuclear weapons as an “absolute evil.” He called on Japan’s leadership to realign its security policy without nuclear deterrence and to accede to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
While Japan has so far remained outside the TPNW, Austria has for years been one of the leading proponents of the treaty, which, under international law, places nuclear weapons on the same footing as biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction. With an eye toward the first TPNW Review Conference in New York in November and December, at which 100 states will participate, Austrian representatives are emphasizing the mission to revitalize the multilateral disarmament process despite geopolitical headwinds.