國際法院「國際法是否允許在任何情况下威脅和使用核子武器」一案之諮詢意見認定國際法上雖無明文禁止，亦無明文允許使用核子武器，雖使用核子武器與聯合國憲章精神相違，國際法院仍無法對使用核子武器是否違法作出結論。 然觀諸核子武器對攻擊客體不加區別及造成損害比例失衡以及對生態環境的損害，明顯可見使用核子武器違反戰爭法及人道法。吾人尤應注意，核子武器爆炸所生之落塵，對生態及人員之殺傷，實與毒武器無異，甚至更有過之。自法律之角度以觀，同列大規模毀滅性武器，生化、毒及瓦斯武器均被國際公約禁止使用，唯獨核子武器之適法與否仍因國際公約緘默而使核武國家得以繼續持有，不受制裁。自聖彼得堡宣言，各項公約均揭示人道考量高於軍事需求，本文據此檢驗核子武器適法性，並主張，核子武器本質違法，不論持有及運用均屬違法。

ABSTRACT The International Court of Justice in the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons held that there is neither customary nor conventional international law provides general prohibition of nuclear weapon although threat or use of nuclear weapons is contrary to U.N. Chart and the Court cannot conclude whether the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be lawful or unlawful. However, the use of nuclear weapons violates the principles of humanity and dictates of public conscience because of its indiscriminate and disproportionate destruction. It should be also noted that the radioactive fallout renders nuclear weapons more than functionally equivalent to poison weapons; as a matter of law, they are by no means to be treated differently from other weapons of mass destruction. Since St. Petersburg Declaration the principles of humanity have been asserted as a constraint upon military necessity; other principles and rules of laws of war have never changed and can never be ignored. This note analyzes principles and rules of the international conventional law and customary law criticizing proposals for the legitimization of nuclear weapons, proposing that nuclear weapons are illegal per se and cannot be employed in any lawful manner, and use of nuclear weapons is a crime against humanity.