Japanese Prime Minister: Increased Possibility of Russia's Using Nuclear Weapons

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Saturday that the possibility of Russia's use of nuclear weapons is "increasingly real," and welcomed the US ambassador's visit to Hiroshima, the first city to be hit by a nuclear attack.

Japan, the only country that had been attacked with nuclear weapons, has repeatedly expressed its opposition to nuclear armament. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, visited the Peace Memorial and City Museum on Saturday with US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel.

"When the potential use of nuclear weapons by Russia becomes increasingly real,

But Putin warned, when the invasion began on February 24, that anyone who obstructed Russia would face "consequences it has not faced in its history," a statement some leaders saw as a threat to use nuclear weapons.