After collapse of NPT conference, Japan will continue to call for visit to A-bombed cities
Jun. 2, 2015
by Jumpei Fujimura and Osamu Kido, Staff Writers
On May 25, the Japanese government set a policy of continuing to call for global leaders to visit the A-bombed cities at international conferences to be held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan. The 2015 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended in failure on May 22 without adopting the final outcome document. Japan is now prepared to intensify its diplomatic efforts to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons as well as the nation’s initiatives to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in this milestone year.
At the Review Conference, Japan’s proposal, which called for world leaders and younger generations to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was dropped from the final document in the face of strong opposition from China. Instead, the draft incorporated the language “sharing the experiences” of the people and the communities affected by nuclear weapons.
However, the Japanese government will maintain its policy of continuing to call for others to visit the A-bombed cities, citing Hiroshima and Nagasaki by name. The government will seek to proactively convey its ideas on nuclear disarmament in order to deepen the understanding of participants from around the world at a meeting of the Group of Eminent Persons, convened by the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and at the U.N. Conference on Disarmament Issues. Both conferences will be held in Hiroshima in August.
The government also views the next international meeting of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs as an important opportunity. The Pugwash Conferences is an international organization composed of scientists seeking to abolish nuclear weapons, and their meeting is scheduled for November in Nagasaki.
Additionally, the government is considering whether to make an appeal for visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the U.N. General Assembly to start in September in New York. Japan will seek to have the call for visiting the A-bombed cities incorporated into a resolution for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, and take the lead in making efforts for its adoption. Last year’s resolution, which was adopted by 170 member countries, did not mention visiting these cities. For the past 21 consecutive years, the Japanese government has submitted drafts of a resolution calling for the total elimination of nuclear arms at the U.N. General Assembly.
In a press interview on May 25, Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, stressed, “The government will work in cooperation with other countries to ensure that Japan’s initiatives will not adversely affect our efforts to create a world free of nuclear weapons.” A high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said, “We will focus on the specific names of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and make an appeal that reflects the importance of visiting these cities in actually understanding the effects of the atomic bomb.”
keywords
NPT Review Conference
The Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) is held every five years to assess the implementation of the treaty, which mandates nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The current challenge involves resolving disputes between the five nuclear weapon states including the United States and Russia, nations permitted by the treaty to possess nuclear arms, and the non-nuclear weapon states including Japan. In the last Review Conference in 2010, the member parties unanimously adopted a final document which included a 64-point action plan as its pillar. However, the Review Conference in 2015, which closed in late May, ended in failure. The de facto nuclear powers – India, Pakistan, and Israel – are not members of the treaty. North Korea, which continues to pursue a nuclear weapons program, announced its withdrawal from the treaty in 2003.
(Originally published on May 26, 2015)
On May 25, the Japanese government set a policy of continuing to call for global leaders to visit the A-bombed cities at international conferences to be held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan. The 2015 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended in failure on May 22 without adopting the final outcome document. Japan is now prepared to intensify its diplomatic efforts to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons as well as the nation’s initiatives to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in this milestone year.
At the Review Conference, Japan’s proposal, which called for world leaders and younger generations to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was dropped from the final document in the face of strong opposition from China. Instead, the draft incorporated the language “sharing the experiences” of the people and the communities affected by nuclear weapons.
However, the Japanese government will maintain its policy of continuing to call for others to visit the A-bombed cities, citing Hiroshima and Nagasaki by name. The government will seek to proactively convey its ideas on nuclear disarmament in order to deepen the understanding of participants from around the world at a meeting of the Group of Eminent Persons, convened by the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and at the U.N. Conference on Disarmament Issues. Both conferences will be held in Hiroshima in August.
The government also views the next international meeting of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs as an important opportunity. The Pugwash Conferences is an international organization composed of scientists seeking to abolish nuclear weapons, and their meeting is scheduled for November in Nagasaki.
Additionally, the government is considering whether to make an appeal for visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the U.N. General Assembly to start in September in New York. Japan will seek to have the call for visiting the A-bombed cities incorporated into a resolution for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, and take the lead in making efforts for its adoption. Last year’s resolution, which was adopted by 170 member countries, did not mention visiting these cities. For the past 21 consecutive years, the Japanese government has submitted drafts of a resolution calling for the total elimination of nuclear arms at the U.N. General Assembly.
In a press interview on May 25, Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, stressed, “The government will work in cooperation with other countries to ensure that Japan’s initiatives will not adversely affect our efforts to create a world free of nuclear weapons.” A high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said, “We will focus on the specific names of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and make an appeal that reflects the importance of visiting these cities in actually understanding the effects of the atomic bomb.”
keywords
NPT Review Conference
The Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) is held every five years to assess the implementation of the treaty, which mandates nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The current challenge involves resolving disputes between the five nuclear weapon states including the United States and Russia, nations permitted by the treaty to possess nuclear arms, and the non-nuclear weapon states including Japan. In the last Review Conference in 2010, the member parties unanimously adopted a final document which included a 64-point action plan as its pillar. However, the Review Conference in 2015, which closed in late May, ended in failure. The de facto nuclear powers – India, Pakistan, and Israel – are not members of the treaty. North Korea, which continues to pursue a nuclear weapons program, announced its withdrawal from the treaty in 2003.
(Originally published on May 26, 2015)
