Call for Immediate Ceasefire from Both the United States/Israel and Iran
Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA)
March 5, 2026
A stated primary purpose of the use of force by U.S.-Israel is nuclear non-proliferation. However, the use of force targeting the leadership, including Ayatollah Khamenei, under the pretext of nuclear non-proliferation and seeking regime change in Iran is not only being questioned regarding for its legitimacy under international law, but is also reported to be causing the expansion of war damage and resulting in numerous civilian casualties. Furthermore, the use of force by the nuclear superpower, the United States, and Israel, which is considered a nuclear-armed state, could intensify the suspicion among many nations that “if you don’t possess nuclear weapons, you will be attacked” rather than upholding nuclear non-proliferation. There is also concern that it could further strengthen the reliance on nuclear deterrence among existing nuclear-armed states. Indeed, France declared an increase its nuclear arsenal on March 2.
In May 2023, at the G7 Hiroshima Summit, the “G7 Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament” was adopted. The participating leaders declared, “we reiterate our position that threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible.” Similarly, in the escalating conflict in and around Iran, threats of nuclear weapons, let alone their use, must not be tolerated.
Even if the heightened nuclear risk is not immediately apparent, complacency is dangerous. The “nuclear taboo” emphasized by the Nobel Committee in awarding the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) must continue to be upheld. All nuclear-armed states must rigorously adhere to this norm. This is a fundamental humanitarian principle on which the international community must never compromise on. As a research center for nuclear weapons abolition in an atomic bombed city, we strongly urge all relevant countries to uphold this principle.
From late April 2026, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference will convene at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Though the effort may be challenging, this vital international conference is expected to find breakthroughs for improvement and resolution through “dialogue” on issues concerning nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. If military hostilities intensify and the front lines expand as they are, this conference gains the risk of becoming a venue of “confrontation” rather than “dialogue.”
To prevent further casualties from the ravages of armed conflicts and to allow the NPT Review Conference to become an opportunity to turn the situation around, the mutual military hostilities triggered by the use of force against Iran must cease immediately. Both sides should seek a breakthrough through “dialogue”.
The message “Make Nagasaki the last city to suffer atomic bombing” is not mere idealism. It is a sincere and powerful warning against the dangerous situation unfolding right now.
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the war
and the atomic bombings
International Human Resources Development Project “Assembling Peace through Dialogue”▶[JP]
This session will present the reports of the International Human Resource Development Project, developed in collaboration with the British American Security Information Council (BASIC).
It brings together the outcomes of eight months of dialogue and research involving nine young professionals from abroad and seven young participants from Nagasaki, focusing on three core themes: emerging technologies and nuclear weapons, transmission of the memories and role of Nagasaki, and climate change and nuclear weapons.
Email：pcu_nc★ml.nagasaki-u.ac.jp （Change ★ to @）
Vol.8, Issue 2 of Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament (J-PAND) is now available online. There are 16 open access articles.
For the issue, see here.
It is a special issue on Deterrence by Denial to Address Biological Threats. Related to this publication, Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA) held a side event with the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) at the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Working Group in Geneva in December 2025.
Announcement of the 2026 Admission Guidelines and Information Session for the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Global Risk (Doctoral Program) ▶[JPN]
The Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Global Risk (Doctoral Program), scheduled to be established in October 2026, has released the 2026 Admission Guidelines and information on upcoming information sessions.
Details are available at the following link:
Website: https://www.planetaryhealth.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/en/gr-program/
This graduate school is an inter-graduate school program organized in collaboration with the Graduate School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences, the Graduate School of Economics, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences as its cooperating graduate schools.
If you are interested, please visit the website and learn more.
【Contact】
Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Global Risk, Nagasaki University
Contact form ( https://www.planetaryhealth.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/en/contact/ )
RECNA Newsletter Vol.14 No.1 (September 30, 2025)
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Greetings upon Taking Office — Jaroslav Krasny Participation in the TPNW Meeting of States Parties and the NPT Preparatory Committee Dialogue Project Collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Update on the 2025 Edition of World’s Nuclear Warhead Data Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the war and the atomic bombings: International Human Resource Development Project The Thirteenth Nagasaki Youth Delegation Activity Report [Full text] * Citation URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10069/0002000821 |
Vol.8, Issue 1 of Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament (J-PAND) is now available online.
For the issue, see here.
The issue features “The Future of Nuclear Stability in East Asia” with an introductory article by Jon B. Wolfsthal & Toby Dalton.
A Joint Set of Recommendations for Avoiding Nuclear Danger in Northeast Asia
Jon Wolfsthal, Toby Dalton, Fumihiko Yoshida, Michiru Nishida
RECNA has conducted joint research with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), and as a result of this collaboration, has released a “A Joint Set of Recommendations for Avoiding Nuclear Danger in Northeast Asia”
■ A Joint Set of Recommendations for Avoiding Nuclear Danger in Northeast Asia
The English version of the Dialogue Project website is now available.
≫ Dialogue Project：https://recna-taiwa.com/en/
International Symposium2025
Memories for the Future: How to Pass Down A-bomb Archives as a Living Testament ▶[JPN]
On Saturday, July 19, 2025, The international symposium will be held co-hosted by the Hiroshima Peace Institute (HPI), The Hiroshima Peace Media Center, and RECNA.
[Interpretation Provided］
The Chugoku Shimbun
The Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA), Nagasaki University
■Outline:
In conjunction with the Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations)’s Nobel Peace Prize win, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, is currently holding an exhibition introducing the stories and works of Nihon Hidankyo and displaying related photographs and other archives. Such archives have played a significant role in recording and conveying the damage caused by the atomic bombings, as well as the A-bomb survivors’ testimonies. As the A-bomb survivors age and their numbers shrink, less of them can directly talk about their experiences year by year, resulting in these archives becoming even more important.
On the 80th commemoration of the atomic bombings, this year’s symposium will introduce the efforts that have been made up to now to preserve these archives, including those of the Nihon Hidankyo. It will also consider how to preserve this collection of archives for posterity.
Taylor & Francis, the publisher of Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament (J-PAND), carried an article about Michiru Nishida, a Professor at the School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences of Nagasaki University and at RECNA. In the article, Nishida discusses the complexities of Japan’s nuclear policy, building on his J-PAND research paper, titled “Logic (or Illogic?) of Japan’s Aversion to TPNW and Charting a Path Forward.”
■Interview with Professor Nishida
Meet the Author: Michiru Nishida
■Professor Nishida’s paper in J-PAND
Logic (or Illogic?) of Japan’s Aversion to TPNW and Charting a Path Forward
