HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) -- Survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Tuesday called for new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to not backtrack on Japan's commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons, expressing concern over her past suggestion the country's long-standing three non-nuclear principles should be reviewed.

"While it is historic to have the first female prime minister, I am deeply concerned about her policy direction, which seems to rely more on force than dialogue," said Takeshi Yamakawa, an 89-year-old Nagasaki atomic bombing survivor who is active in sharing his testimony.

In 2022, while serving as the policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Takaichi argued that exceptions should be allowed to Japan's three principles of not possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons in certain emergency situations.

Yamakawa expressed alarm at the idea of revising the policy, saying, "As a nation that knows the horrors of the atomic bomb, such a change must never happen. (The three non-nuclear principles) should be upheld as a national creed."

Takashi Hiraoka, 97, who served as mayor of Hiroshima from 1991 to 1999, urged the new administration to "pursue peace diplomacy earnestly."

Noting that Takaichi visited the Yasukuni shrine while she was a Cabinet member, he warned that "such actions could disrupt peace in East Asia. There is more cause for concern than hope."

On Tuesday, the Japan Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a nationwide movement that includes atomic bomb survivors, held an emergency online press conference to express concerns over the possible nuclear policies of the new administration.

Terumi Tanaka, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors, who is also a co-chair of the campaign, noted that Takaichi has repeatedly made hawkish remarks.

"We are watching closely to see how her Cabinet will set its direction. We must scrutinize its security and nuclear policies in every detail," the 93-year-old said.

A-bomb survivors express concern over new Japan PM's nuclear stance