SPF Japan-U.S Program Panel Discussion on,
"The End of Nuclear Forgetting: Revival of Nuclear Weapons"

On July 19, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation will host a panel discussion celebrating the book launch of the “The End of Nuclear Forgetting: Revival of Nuclear Weapons.”

Since the end of the Cold War, the likelihood of nuclear war among major powers has decreased. As the Prague Speech by the former U.S. President Obama showed, the expectations of reducing the roles of nuclear weapons was increasing. Additionally, the discussion on the roles of nuclear weapons in the security domain seemed to have terminated, at least among Western countries. The words “nuclear forgetting” describes this termination. However, tensions in the security environment has increased on both local and global levels, and the reconstruction of the intellectual foundation regarding nuclear strategy and deterrence has restarted. The end of “nuclear forgetting” has been realized. However, it does not mean the denial of nuclear disarmament or an acceptance of an eternal reliance on nuclear deterrence.

In this research, the group analyzed the roles of nuclear weapons in the security environment of the 21st century and the diversity of nuclear deterrence and further discussed the trends of nuclear strategy among major powers—such as the U.S. and Russia; the roles of nuclear deterrence at the regional level; and the implications of technological evolution. We aimed at comprehensively addressing the issues of nuclear weapons in a changing world without considering the issue of nuclear deterrence as a taboo in Japan. It is important to capture the changes of the times and understand the different roles and meanings of nuclear weapons, which change depending on the region and target, instead of simply applying Cold War deterrence theory to the current security environment. It is also critical not to divide the discussions of security/deterrence and disarmament/arms control as separate topics.

In this event, the authors will introduce the chapters of the book followed by special panel discussions with experts from the US. This will be a great opportunity to exchange frank opinions of the reality and challenges on the issues surrounding nuclear weapons. We look forward to seeing you at the event. Details of the event are as follows: