The Guardian view on a new nuclear age: great powers should not restock a house of dynamite | Editorial

"When Eisaku Sato, a former prime minister of Japan, received the Nobel peace prize in 1974 after committing his country to not making nuclear bombs, owning them or allowing them on its territory, he assured the audience: I have no doubt that this policy will be pursued by all future governments. Yet last week, Sanae Takaichi, Japan's new prime minister, declined to say whether the country that understands the cost of nuclear war better than any other would stand by its commitment reflecting the bleak broader outlook."

"Eighty years after the US dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima, incinerating tens of thousands of people, and almost 40 after Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan seriously discussed nuclear abolition in Reykjavik, the spectre looms once more. Last month, Donald Trump ordered the US military to match other countries' nuclear weapons testing. Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi, who worked on nuclear strategy in the Biden administration, warn that arms control has essentially broken down and that the growing risks amount to a Category 5 hurricane."

"For decades the main fear was of terrorists or rogue states such as North Korea; now there is a new great power rivalry. In place of the old standoff between two hegemons comes a more complicated contest, with China massively expanding its capabilities, and broader proliferation. For unsettled US allies such as South Korea and Poland, acquiring their own arsenals is no longer out of the question. The nuclear taboo is wearing thin."

Japan's postwar commitment to forgo nuclear weapons faces doubts as the new prime minister would not confirm continued adherence. Global nuclear danger is rising as the United States moves to match others' weapons testing and experts warn arms control has effectively broken down. The New Start treaty between Russia and the US is set to expire, while China expands its capabilities and proliferation broadens. Some US allies now consider acquiring their own arsenals. Cultural depictions and expert warnings reflect growing anxiety about a renewed nuclear threat and weakening taboo against use.

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