Nearly 70 percent of atomic bomb survivors in Japan are against amending the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9, with many thinking that adhering to it will keep the country out of war, a Kyodo News survey has shown.

Reflecting growing concerns among the survivors over the lack of progress toward achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons, around 80 percent of respondents also said they fear nuclear weapons might be used in the current international situation.

Questionnaires were sent in May or later to about 4,800 people who had been exposed to radiation due to the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 70 years ago. Valid responses were received from about 1,150 people, and the results were published on Saturday.