Hiroshima Prefecture Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki speaks during a ceremony at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on August 6, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the western Japan city. Photo: VCG

Another local official in Japan voiced his firm opposition on Tuesday to any attempt of reviewing Japan's long-standing Three Non-Nuclear Principles, after Nagasaki Prefecture Governor Kengo Oishi and Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki criticized the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's consideration to review the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. 

Hiroshima Prefecture Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki responded on Tuesday at his regular press conference to reports that Takaichi is considering initiating discussions within the ruling coalition on reviewing the "non-introduction" component of Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles — "not possessing, not producing, and not permitting the introduction" of nuclear weapons, The Mainichi Shimbun reported. 

He said that, as the information is based on media reports, he would "refrain from making any definitive comments at this stage," but stressed that "as the site of the world's first atomic bombing and the unprecedented devastation it caused, the Three Non-Nuclear Principles are something that must absolutely be upheld."

He added, "If any move to review them surfaces, I intend to firmly oppose it."

Yuzaki has repeatedly warned about the dangers of a security framework that relies on nuclear weapons. At the press conference on Tuesday, he reiterated that while "deterrence itself is not something to be rejected, the government must recognize that the risks increase once the element of 'nuclear' is introduced." He urged the government to "devote its full efforts to pursuing ways to move away from nuclear deterrence."

He also explained that the prefectural government has consistently expressed its commitment to upholding the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, saying, "I do not deny that discussions may be taking place behind the scenes, but if a concrete move to revise the principles comes to light, we will firmly request that they be maintained."

In response to Takaichi's consideration of initiating discussions within the ruling party to review the "non-introduction" principle — one of Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles of "not possessing, not producing, and not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons" — Nagasaki Prefecture Governor Kengo Oishi criticized the move at a press conference on Monday saying, "As a prefecture that experienced the atomic bombing, this is absolutely unacceptable," Japanese media reported. 

On the same day, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki expressed his opposition to Takaichi's consideration of revising Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles as part of the review of the National Security Strategy and other defense-related documents, the Mainichi Shimbun reported.