August was a busy month at APLN and we are delighted to share updates on our projects and publications this month. We commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings with a special essay series reflecting on the legacy of nuclear use. Eight authors, including Gareth Evans, HMGS Palihakkara, Kim Won-soo, Sujata Mehta, Suzuki Tatsujiro, Jiang Tianjiao, Monalisa Hazarika and Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto, examined enduring nuclear risks, emerging challenges from geopolitics and new technologies, and lessons drawn from their own experiences, offering practical guidance for advancing global disarmament.

Staying with the theme of nuclear risk reduction, APLN collaborated with NTI, EASLG, and ELN to highlight the benefits of independent, internal fail-safe reviews in nuclear-armed states. Three individual high-level workshops were held by APLN with regional partners in China, India, and Pakistan, and we have now published the workshop summaries, alongside other related commentaries and policy briefs. As part of our ongoing work on maritime security, we convened two back-to-back online workshops on Exploring New Maritime Confidence and Security Building Measures in the Asia-Pacific, aimed at developing practical policy recommendations for reducing tensions and building trust among maritime states in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Turning to specific policy debates, our latest policy brief, authored by Hideo Asano, explores Japan’s considerations regarding the potential deployment of the US sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N). On the occasion of International Day Against Nuclear Tests (IDANT), we featured a commentary on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by H.E. Mr. Philémon Yang and Dr. Robert Floyd, highlighting the Treaty’s critical role in preventing nuclear testing and strengthening international security. In this month’s APLN Korea Times column, Alvin Chew analysed US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, emphasising that advancing a Middle East nuclear-weapon-free zone is essential for reinforcing regional and global non-proliferation norms.

Thank you for your continued support of APLN and as always I welcome your feedback on our work.

To commemorate 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we invited eight authors, including senior experts and next-generation scholars to reflect on past lessons and future pathways toward a world without nuclear weapons. The essays engage with the memory of the bombings, trace the nuclear risks humanity has endured, and outline the major questions the world must confront in the decades ahead as a result of changing geopolitical equations, evolving threat perceptions and emerging disruptive technologies. The essays in this edited volume were published as individual commentaries in August 2025.

Against the backdrop of increased threats and risks of nuclear weapons use, the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network, in collaboration with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG), European Leadership Network (ELN), and partners in the Asia-Pacific, underscore the importance and benefits of independent, internal “fail-safe” reviews in nuclear-armed states. APLN collaborated with regional non-governmental partners to convene three individual high-level workshops with senior experts, former government officials, and military officers of China, India, and Pakistan. 

On August 19-20, APLN hosted two workshops on Exploring New Maritime Confidence and Security Building Measures in the Asia-Pacific. The workshops separately convened experts from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, to discuss opportunities and potential hurdles for new confidence and security building measures within their regions. This work builds upon APLN’s previous work on Asia-Pacific maritime security issues, and is intended to produce rigorously tested regional stability mechanisms which reflect the needs of and perspectives from the region.

H.E. Mr. Philémon Yang, President of the UN General Assembly, and Dr. Robert Floyd, CTBTO Executive Secretary, emphasise that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) has strengthened global security by establishing a powerful norm against testing. Despite not yet entering into force, the Treaty enjoys near-universal support, with an extensive monitoring system that ensures transparency and accountability. They call on the international community to bring the CTBT into force, warning that any return to nuclear testing would threaten peace, security, and the environment.

This commentary is part of a global effort to promote awareness of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. It is published in cooperation with partners across the Asia-Pacific.

Hideo Asano examines the political risks Japan faces regarding the potential deployment of the US sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N), particularly the domestic backlash over nuclear transits. He outlines five policy options for the Japanese government, ranging from strict prohibition to allowing, or even removing, the “no introduction” principle. Cautioning against eliminating this principle, he calls instead for a joint US–Japan review of the SLCM-N that considers security, arms control, and disarmament perspectives, and further encourages regional efforts and public education about the humanitarian consequences of nuclear use.

Alvin Chew observes that while Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities have temporarily disrupted enrichment activities, Iran’s latent capabilities and stockpile of highly enriched uranium remain a concern. He emphasises that restoring transparency through IAEA oversight and advancing a Middle East nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) are essential steps to strengthen both regional and global non-proliferation norms.

The APLN joint project Reducing the Risk of Nuclear Weapon Use in Northeast Asia (NU-NEA), conducted in collaboration with the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA), and the Nautilus Institute, was featured in an interview with Tatsujiro Suzuki. He discussed the project’s findings and introduced the report on a TV documentary produced by Nagasaki’s local station, which won a TV Galaxi Recommended Film Award last year and is now broadcast in English on NHK World.