Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa strongly condemned recent statements made by U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, justifying the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Kamikawa expressed her disapproval during a parliamentary committee meeting, labeling the remarks as “inappropriate and unacceptable.”
She emphasized that Tokyo has conveyed to Washington that the use of nuclear weapons goes against international law. Kamikawa highlighted the devastating impact of the atomic bombings, which resulted in the loss of many lives, widespread illness, and disabilities. She described the situation created by the bombings as “extremely regrettable from a humanitarian standpoint.”
Kamikawa underscored the incompatibility of nuclear weapons with humanitarian values due to their immense destructive power. She reiterated that the use of such weapons is contrary to the principles of humanitarianism.