Despite stringent international economic sanctions imposed primarily through the United Nations Security Council, North Korea’s progress in nuclear and missile development as well as in its nuclear doctrine has been remarkable, particularly since negotiations with the Trump administration stalled in 2018-19. North Korea’s position that denuclearization is nonnegotiable was again emphasized at their most recent Party Congress held in February 2026.
For Japan, the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings in war, a “world without nuclear weapons” is not merely an aspirational goal. Like the relationship between the long-term policy goal of “a world without nuclear weapons” and the short-term policy of realistic and practical nuclear disarmament measures, denuclearization and risk reduction can be distinguished as policy goals on different timelines in approaches to North Korea as well.
In advance of Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi’s planned visit to Washington this month, three Japanese panelists discuss their views on how and why complete denuclearization should be emphasized in Japan’s, South Korea’s, and United States policy toward North Korea. Stimson expert, Jenny Town, will provide additional insights on American and South Korean perspectives.
A light breakfast will be served.
Featured Speakers
Mizumi Dutcher, Doctoral candidate, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
Mizumi Dutcher is a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Her dissertation examines China–North Korea relations under Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un. She most recently served as a Foreign Policy Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, supporting the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee.
Michiru Nishida, Professor, Nagasaki University, Japan
Michiru Nishida is professor at the School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences, deputy director of the Research Center for Global Risk, and concurrent professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Abolition (RECNA), Nagasaki University. He is also a member and Senior Research Adviser of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN).
Jenny Town, Senior Fellow and Director, 38 North Program, Stimson Center
Jenny Town is a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and the Director of Stimson’s Korea Program and 38 North. Her areas of expertise include North Korea, US-DPRK relations, US-ROK alliance relations and extended deterrence, and Northeast Asia regional security.
Andrew Oros, Senior Fellow & Director, Japan Program (Moderator)
Andrew L. Oros is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center. His areas of expertise include Japanese domestic politics, Japan’s foreign relations, East Asian security, and the intersection of demographic change and national security readiness