Japan Association of Disarmament Studies sees reduction in role of nuclear weapons as focus of NPT Review Conference
Apr. 26, 2010
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer
On April 25, a symposium of the Japan Association of Disarmament Studies, chaired by Mitsuru Kurosawa, professor at Osaka Jogakuin College, was held in Tokyo and specialists discussed the outlook for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May. The participants shared the recognition that whether an agreement can be reached about the reduction in the role of nuclear weapons in security policies, toward nuclear disarmament, will be a focus of the NPT Review Conference.
Four participants made reports and held discussions at the symposium. Professor Kurosawa, chair of the association, praised the United States for having presented a "negative security assurance" as its policy in regard to nuclear disarmament, which guarantees that the nation will not carry out a nuclear attack against non-nuclear weapon states. Professor Kurosawa stated that the reduction in the role of nuclear weapons "will become a major point of discussion," as non-nuclear weapon states have been seeking this reduced role for the weapons and calling on the nuclear weapon states to adopt the "negative security assurance," among other things.
In this connection, Toshio Sano, director general of the Disarmament, Non-proliferation and Science Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out: "What agreements can be made in regard to nuclear non-proliferation will also be important for the nuclear weapon states, other than the United States, to accept the idea of negative security assurance."
Hiromichi Umebayashi, special advisor to the non-governmental organization Peace Depot, expressed his expectation that the nations would form a certain consensus about the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention. Nobuyasu Abe, director of the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, referred to suspected nuclear development by Iran and a deadlock over the "Middle East Resolution," which seeks to turn the Middle East into a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, as causes for concern at the NPT Review Conference.
(Originally published on April 26, 2010)
On April 25, a symposium of the Japan Association of Disarmament Studies, chaired by Mitsuru Kurosawa, professor at Osaka Jogakuin College, was held in Tokyo and specialists discussed the outlook for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May. The participants shared the recognition that whether an agreement can be reached about the reduction in the role of nuclear weapons in security policies, toward nuclear disarmament, will be a focus of the NPT Review Conference.
Four participants made reports and held discussions at the symposium. Professor Kurosawa, chair of the association, praised the United States for having presented a "negative security assurance" as its policy in regard to nuclear disarmament, which guarantees that the nation will not carry out a nuclear attack against non-nuclear weapon states. Professor Kurosawa stated that the reduction in the role of nuclear weapons "will become a major point of discussion," as non-nuclear weapon states have been seeking this reduced role for the weapons and calling on the nuclear weapon states to adopt the "negative security assurance," among other things.
In this connection, Toshio Sano, director general of the Disarmament, Non-proliferation and Science Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out: "What agreements can be made in regard to nuclear non-proliferation will also be important for the nuclear weapon states, other than the United States, to accept the idea of negative security assurance."
Hiromichi Umebayashi, special advisor to the non-governmental organization Peace Depot, expressed his expectation that the nations would form a certain consensus about the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention. Nobuyasu Abe, director of the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, referred to suspected nuclear development by Iran and a deadlock over the "Middle East Resolution," which seeks to turn the Middle East into a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, as causes for concern at the NPT Review Conference.
(Originally published on April 26, 2010)
