Japan’s score drops in Hiroshima Report for second year in a row as it increases reliance on U.S. nuclear deterrence
Apr. 19, 2025
by Satoshi Hirata, Staff Writer
On April 18, the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe), a government-private organization led by Hiroshima Prefecture that aims to abolish nuclear weapons, released the “Hiroshima Report,” an assessment of 34 nations based on their efforts in 2024 regarding nuclear weapons. Amid growing momentum for the abolition of nuclear weapons with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) last October, Japan’s rating in the area of nuclear disarmament has declined for two consecutive years.
The Japan Institute of International Affairs (based in Tokyo), commissioned by HOPe, surveyed five nuclear powers, four de facto nuclear states, and 25 non-nuclear nations on the basis of 78 items in three areas: Nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and nuclear security. Each nation’s score is expressed as a percentage of full points.
The report includes a special feature on the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Nihon Hidankyo and introduces the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s statement in recognition of the organizations’ continued efforts to “remind the world of the pressing need for nuclear disarmament.” On the other hand, it summarizes that “efforts to prevent the further deterioration of the nuclear situation were unsuccessful,” given Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and nuclear issues concerning North Korea and Iran.
Japan’s score in the area of nuclear disarmament was 54.2 percent, down 3.1 points from last year. The score dropped again from the previous survey as the country has increased its reliance on the extended nuclear deterrence of the United States. Sweden, which joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in March 2024, scored 41.7 percent, down 6.2 points.
Among the five nuclear powers, the scores of the United States and Russia declined. The report referred to the United States’ approach to Russia and China, respectively, to initiate bilateral arms control discussions, but pointed out that “very little progress has been made in reaching further agreements or implementing concrete nuclear disarmament initiatives.”
Of the four de facto nuclear states, Pakistan scored minus 0.5 percent, down 1.6 points, as it is estimated to possess around 170 nuclear warheads and continues to incrementally increase its nuclear arsenal. North Korea, which repeatedly conducted missile tests, received the lowest score of all the nations surveyed with minus 12.9 percent, down 1.6 points.
One new nation has signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and four have ratified it, but the report notes that “the nuclear-armed states and their allies have not changed their policy of refusing to sign the treaty.”
The “Hiroshima Report” has been published since 2013. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Hidehiko Yuzaki, Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture and President of HOPe, stressed at the press conference: “The Japanese government should use the momentum created by Nihon Hidankyo winning the Nobel Peace Prize as a driving force to communicate the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons by stepping up its efforts (for nuclear abolition).”
(Originally published on April 19, 2025)
On April 18, the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe), a government-private organization led by Hiroshima Prefecture that aims to abolish nuclear weapons, released the “Hiroshima Report,” an assessment of 34 nations based on their efforts in 2024 regarding nuclear weapons. Amid growing momentum for the abolition of nuclear weapons with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) last October, Japan’s rating in the area of nuclear disarmament has declined for two consecutive years.
The Japan Institute of International Affairs (based in Tokyo), commissioned by HOPe, surveyed five nuclear powers, four de facto nuclear states, and 25 non-nuclear nations on the basis of 78 items in three areas: Nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and nuclear security. Each nation’s score is expressed as a percentage of full points.
The report includes a special feature on the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Nihon Hidankyo and introduces the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s statement in recognition of the organizations’ continued efforts to “remind the world of the pressing need for nuclear disarmament.” On the other hand, it summarizes that “efforts to prevent the further deterioration of the nuclear situation were unsuccessful,” given Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and nuclear issues concerning North Korea and Iran.
Japan’s score in the area of nuclear disarmament was 54.2 percent, down 3.1 points from last year. The score dropped again from the previous survey as the country has increased its reliance on the extended nuclear deterrence of the United States. Sweden, which joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in March 2024, scored 41.7 percent, down 6.2 points.
Among the five nuclear powers, the scores of the United States and Russia declined. The report referred to the United States’ approach to Russia and China, respectively, to initiate bilateral arms control discussions, but pointed out that “very little progress has been made in reaching further agreements or implementing concrete nuclear disarmament initiatives.”
Of the four de facto nuclear states, Pakistan scored minus 0.5 percent, down 1.6 points, as it is estimated to possess around 170 nuclear warheads and continues to incrementally increase its nuclear arsenal. North Korea, which repeatedly conducted missile tests, received the lowest score of all the nations surveyed with minus 12.9 percent, down 1.6 points.
One new nation has signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and four have ratified it, but the report notes that “the nuclear-armed states and their allies have not changed their policy of refusing to sign the treaty.”
The “Hiroshima Report” has been published since 2013. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Hidehiko Yuzaki, Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture and President of HOPe, stressed at the press conference: “The Japanese government should use the momentum created by Nihon Hidankyo winning the Nobel Peace Prize as a driving force to communicate the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons by stepping up its efforts (for nuclear abolition).”
(Originally published on April 19, 2025)
