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Nihon Hidankyo calls on Japanese foreign minister to promote nuclear abolition

On March 24, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) has faxed a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which calls for promoting the non-use and elimination of nuclear weapons at the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Non-proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI), scheduled to take place in Hiroshima on April 11 and 12.

The letter was addressed to Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, a lawmaker from Hiroshima’s first district. It refers to a proposal made in the working paper compiled at the NPDI foreign ministers’ meeting held in April 2013 in The Hague, the Netherlands. The proposal said that it is imperative that the more than 65-year non-use of nuclear weapons be extended forever. However, in his speech in Nagasaki in January of this year, Mr. Kishida stated that nuclear nations should “declare their intention to limit their use of nuclear weapons to extreme circumstances based on the right to individual and collective self-defense.” The letter points out that the foreign minister’s remark is incompatible with the proposal made by the NPDI.

The NPDI, which is an international group of 12 non-nuclear nations led by Japan and Australia, seeks to carry out practical measures to advance nuclear disarmament. Mr. Kishida will serve as the chairperson of the foreign ministers’ meeting in Hiroshima. Basing its argument on Mr. Kishida’s speech made in Nagasaki, the Foreign Ministry of Japan intends to consult with other member nations and craft a joint declaration.

(Originally published on March 25, 2014)

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