ABSTRACT
As a result of its defeat in World War II, Japan became a military ally of the Unitsed States upon the restoration of its sovereignty. In time, Japan’s security came to depend on the extended nuclear deterrence of the United States. On the other hand, Japan, which experienced the nuclear catastrophes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has continued to emphasise the need for nuclear abolition, even though it is a U.S. military ally. There has continued to exist a gap between ideals and reality. However, ultimately, eliminating the risk of nuclear war requires the abolition of nuclear weapons. But achieving this goal will require global governance of nuclear disarmament and dealing with the gap between the ideal of a nuclear-free world and the reality of living with nuclear weapons. The international community would do well to seek answers to this question by learning from Japan’s experience of reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
