HANNAH BEECH2025年8月7日广岛和平博物馆展出的原子弹投下时的视觉模拟。 Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesNine nations now possess nuclear weapons, which can obliterate and irradiate human settlements in an instant. But only twice have they been used: 80 years ago, when the destructive technology was in its infancy and in the hands of a single country.目前全球拥有核武器的国家有九个，这种武器能在瞬间摧毁和辐射人类定居地。但核武器只被使用过两次，那是在80年前，当时只有一个国家掌握这种刚起步的毁灭性技术。On Aug. 6, 1945, in a drastic move thought to have hastened Japan’s surrender in World War II, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the western Japanese city of Hiroshima. A U.S. bomber called the Enola Gay released the 9,700-pound weapon that detonated nearly 2,000 feet in the air, creating a massive mushroom cloud and searing the city with temperatures of up to 7,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The blast and its fallout extinguished about 140,000 lives by the end of the year.1945年8月6日，美国在日本西部城市广岛投下一枚原子弹，人们认为这个极端行动加速了日本在第二次世界大战中投降。一架名为“埃诺拉·盖伊”的美国轰炸机投下了这枚重达约4.4吨的原子弹，原子弹在距离地面600多米的空中引爆，形成巨大的蘑菇云，以高达4000摄氏度的高温将这座城市烤焦。到当年年底，原子弹爆炸及其核辐射影响夺走了约14万人的生命。Three days later, another American bomber dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, to the southwest, killing another 70,000 people. The destruction of the two cities was followed by Japan’s submission days later, ending its decades of brutal conquest. But the bombings also announced a more terrifying age in which human innovation could spark death and destruction on a previously unimaginable scale.三天后，另一架美国轰炸机在日本西南部城市长崎投下了第二枚原子弹，造成那里的7万人死亡。这两座城市被摧毁数天后，日本宣布投降，结束了其长达数十年的残暴征服战争。但这两次轰炸也宣告了一个更可怕时代的到来，这是一个人类的创新可能引发规模空前的死亡和破坏的时代。1945年8月9日，美国在日本港口城市长崎投下原子弹后，爆炸产生的烟雾上升到1.8万多米的高空。 United States Air ForceAs the flattened city of Hiroshima was rebuilt, it dedicated itself to promoting peace. Survivors of the atomic bombing have campaigned for a world free of nuclear weapons. But 80 years on, that dream is fading. Three of Japan’s neighbors — Russia, China and North Korea — are nuclear powers, and Tokyo depends on the American nuclear umbrella to protect it. With tensions in the Pacific heightening and firsthand memories of nuclear devastation waning, more Japanese are questioning the national commitment to peace at all costs.被夷为平地的广岛在重建过程中，也将自己奉献给了和平事业。原子弹爆炸的幸存者们一直致力于推动一个没有核武器的世界。但80年过去了，这个梦想已在逐渐渺茫。日本的三个邻国——俄罗斯、中国、朝鲜——都是拥核国家，而日本依靠美国为其提供核保护伞。随着太平洋地区紧张局势的加剧，以及核毁灭亲历记忆的逐渐消退，越来越多的日本人开始怀疑国家不惜任何代价维护和平的承诺。Why did Japan go all-in on pacifism after World War II?日本为什么在“二战”后全力推行和平主义？The Americans forced it to. The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces’ harsh invasion of much of Asia, its shock attack on Pearl Harbor and its willingness to sacrifice a generation of young soldiers for the empire made the victorious Americans adamant that the country should never again wage war.是美国人强迫它那样做的。大日本帝国武装力量残暴地入侵了亚洲大部分地区，偷袭了珍珠港，而且日本军国主义者愿意为帝国牺牲一代年轻士兵的性命，这些原因使获胜的美国坚定地认为，再也不能让日本发动战争。1945年9月2日，日本外务大臣于停靠在东京湾的美国海军战舰密苏里号上签署《日本投降书》。美国人后来占领日本数年时间，并起草了日本的和平宪法。 Carl Mydans/The LIFE Picture Collection, via ShutterstockJapan’s so-called “peace constitution,” drafted by the Americans who occupied the country for nearly seven years, forever renounced war. Its Article 9 has been interpreted to mean that Japan should never possess a military with offensive capabilities.日本的所谓“和平宪法”是美国人起草的，美国曾占领日本近七年。该宪法规定日本“永远放弃以国权发动的战争”。其第九条一直被解读为日本永远不得拥有具备进攻能力的军队。In return, the United States promised to defend Japan should it come under attack. The security treaty made Japan a beneficiary of the theory of nuclear deterrence, in which the fear of nuclear retaliation is thought to deter a first-strike attack.作为对日本放弃战争的回报，美国承诺在日本受到攻击时提供防卫。美日安全条约让日本成了核威慑理论的受益者，该理论认为，对核报复的惧怕能阻止先发制人的核打击。So why does Japan have a military?那为什么日本有军队呢？To take into account these constitutional limitations, Japan’s military is called the Self-Defense Forces. It cannot take on combat roles in international conflicts. But that hasn’t stopped Japan from expanding its arsenal to counter potential threats from Asian neighbors such as China that, in turn, worry about Japan’s rearmament, given its wartime record. If budget hikes continue, Japan will soon be among the world’s top military spenders. All of this modern hardware is supposed to be only for defensive purposes, although a debate in Japan about its global military profile has been getting louder.考虑到宪法中的这些限制，日本的军队叫自卫队。日本自卫队不能在国际冲突中参与战斗。但宪法并不阻止日本扩充军备，以应对来自中国等亚洲邻国的潜在威胁。但反过来，由于日本的“二战”行为，中国等邻国也对日本的重新武装感到担忧。如果国防预算持续增长的话，日本将很快跻身于世界上军费开支最高的国家行列。所有这些现代化装备理论上仅用于防御目的，但日本国内关于本国全球军事地位的争论已变得日益激烈。一名日本士兵在冲绳岛参加训练演习，摄于今年5月。What do Japanese think of their country’s rearming?日本民众如何看待本国重整军备？While many in the older generations worry about Japan’s waning commitment to pacifism, younger Japanese tend to be more sanguine. Supporters of a military expansion say that Japan shouldn’t be forced into a defensive crouch forever, especially with security threats ratcheting up in the Pacific. (In addition to superpower jousting, Japan has territorial disputes with China, Russia and the two Koreas.) They worry that the United States may not always be a constant security guarantor for Japan, especially under President Trump, who has criticized Japan for relying too heavily on the presence of American military bases.虽然许多老一辈担心日本对和平主义的承诺正在减弱，但年轻的日本人普遍更为乐观。支持军事扩张者表示，不应该永远强迫日本采取被动防御姿态，尤其是在太平洋地区的安全威胁日益加剧的时候。（除了超级大国在东亚地区的角逐，日本也与中国、俄罗斯，以及朝鲜和韩国有领土争端。）这些人担心美国也许不会总为日本提供安全保障，尤其是在特朗普总统领导下，他批评日本过度依赖美国军事基地的存在。广岛的街景，摄于今年7月。许多老一辈日本人担心国家对和平主义的承诺正在减弱，而一些年轻人则担心如何应对当今的威胁，比如中国的崛起。And with firsthand memories of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki disappearing, most Japanese are now removed from the kind of searing testimony that underwrote the country’s pacifist, nonnuclear stance. Nippon Kaigi, an ultranationalist political bloc that aims to revise Article 9 of the Constitution, has significant support among lawmakers from the governing Liberal Democratic Party. Amending the Constitution was once unthinkable; it’s now a political talking point.随着广岛和长崎原子弹爆炸的亲历记忆逐渐消失，大多数日本人现已不太了解那些灼热证言，那些证言曾支持了日本的和平主义和不拥核立场。以修改宪法第九条为目的的“日本会议”是一个极端民族主义的政治团体，它在执政的自民党议员中获得了显著支持。修宪曾经是不可想象的事情，而现在已成为一个政治话题。What about nukes?核武器问题呢？Nihon Hidankyo, a group representing atomic bomb survivors, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons. But Japan has never signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In 2023, Fumio Kishida, then the prime minister of Japan, whose family is from Hiroshima, supported a statement at a Group of 7 summit he hosted in the city that implied nuclear deterrence might bring its own kind of peace.代表原子弹受害者的组织“日本被团协”去年被授予诺贝尔和平奖，以表彰该组织为实现一个无核武世界所做的努力。但日本从未签署过《禁止核武器条约》。2023年，时任日本首相的岸田文雄在广岛（岸田文雄的家族来自广岛）为七国集团峰会作东时，支持了一项暗示核威慑可能带来某种形式和平的峰会声明。2023年，时任日本首相的岸田文雄与出席七国集团峰会的世界各国领导人在广岛。虽然他支持裁军，但也在一份暗示核威慑可能带来某种形式和平的声明上签了名。Mr. Kishida’s stance reflects a growing feeling in Japan that while nuclear weapons are dangerous and their eradication is a noble ideal, the real world also requires deterrence and robust defense.岸田文雄的立场反映了日本国内不断增长的一种情绪：虽然核武器很危险，彻底消除核武器是一个崇高的理想，但现实世界也需要威慑力和强劲的防御能力。Hisako Ueno对本文有报道贡献。Hannah Beech是《纽约时报》记者，常驻曼谷。她报道亚洲新闻超过25年，主要报道深度和调查新闻。翻译：Cindy Hao点击查看本文英文版。