Mayors for Peace Japan meeting: effort to pass on A-bombing experience must be strengthened; plan including proposals for youth exchange, poster display approved
Nov. 20, 2015
by Kyosuke Mizukawa
Mayors for Peace held the second day of a two-day meeting for member cities in Japan on November 10 to discuss measures to enhance domestic activities in an effort to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020. The meeting was held in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, serves as president of the group. Before closing the meeting, the members added three new or expanded initiatives to their action plan that is effective through 2017, including an exchange program for young people from member cities to be held in Hiroshima.
The new measures are the exchange program for youth to be held in Hiroshima and the preparation and display of a new poster describing the risks of nuclear weapons. The expanded initiative is an effort to increase the number of member cities around the world to 10,000 by 2020. (As of November 1 there were 6,893 member cities.) In light of this new target, members will call on their sister cities to join the organization. All of these initiatives were put forth by the secretariat and approved with applause.
Members stated the need to pay close attention to developments related to the exercise of the right of collective defense and suggested taking advantage of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. These ideas were included in the summary statement that was adopted.
The group also approved a letter to be sent to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling on the government to promote a nuclear weapons convention. The letter refers to a working group that will negotiate nuclear disarmament measures, including laws and regulations. A resolution proposing the holding of the working group meeting was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security). The letter suggests that Japan act in accord with other nations that are working to outlaw nuclear weapons. Mayor Matsui and others will deliver the letter to the Foreign Ministry next month.
At a press conference following the meeting, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, vice president of Mayors for Peace, said, “I would like the government of Japan to attend the meetings of the U.N. working group and move the debate forward.”
The two-day meeting was attended by 126 people from 86 municipalities, including 39 mayors. A board meeting of the mayors of board member cities from around the world will be held in Ypres, Belgium on November 12 and 13. At the meeting, changes to the organization’s 2020 Vision as well as the action plan will be discussed. Next year’s meeting of member cities in Japan will be held in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture.
(Originally published on November 11, 2015)
Mayors for Peace held the second day of a two-day meeting for member cities in Japan on November 10 to discuss measures to enhance domestic activities in an effort to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020. The meeting was held in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, serves as president of the group. Before closing the meeting, the members added three new or expanded initiatives to their action plan that is effective through 2017, including an exchange program for young people from member cities to be held in Hiroshima.
The new measures are the exchange program for youth to be held in Hiroshima and the preparation and display of a new poster describing the risks of nuclear weapons. The expanded initiative is an effort to increase the number of member cities around the world to 10,000 by 2020. (As of November 1 there were 6,893 member cities.) In light of this new target, members will call on their sister cities to join the organization. All of these initiatives were put forth by the secretariat and approved with applause.
Members stated the need to pay close attention to developments related to the exercise of the right of collective defense and suggested taking advantage of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. These ideas were included in the summary statement that was adopted.
The group also approved a letter to be sent to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling on the government to promote a nuclear weapons convention. The letter refers to a working group that will negotiate nuclear disarmament measures, including laws and regulations. A resolution proposing the holding of the working group meeting was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security). The letter suggests that Japan act in accord with other nations that are working to outlaw nuclear weapons. Mayor Matsui and others will deliver the letter to the Foreign Ministry next month.
At a press conference following the meeting, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, vice president of Mayors for Peace, said, “I would like the government of Japan to attend the meetings of the U.N. working group and move the debate forward.”
The two-day meeting was attended by 126 people from 86 municipalities, including 39 mayors. A board meeting of the mayors of board member cities from around the world will be held in Ypres, Belgium on November 12 and 13. At the meeting, changes to the organization’s 2020 Vision as well as the action plan will be discussed. Next year’s meeting of member cities in Japan will be held in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture.
(Originally published on November 11, 2015)
