Hiroshima symposium on East Asia seeks path toward world without nuclear weapons
Jul. 24, 2016
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
An international symposium “Security Challenges and Agendas in East Asia: Searching for ‘A World without Nuclear Weapons’” was held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima on July 23. The symposium was hosted by Hiroshima City University, Nagasaki University’s Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) and the Chugoku Shimbun. While U.S. President Barack Obama recently made a historic visit to Hiroshima, East Asia has been beset by thorny conditions over North Korea’s nuclear tests and other concerns.
In front of an audience of 235, Shunji Hiraiwa, a professor at Kwansei Gakuin University, delivered a keynote speech on the Kim Jong-un regime and international relations in East Asia. According to Professor Hiraiwa, North Korea believes that possessing nuclear arms and missiles enables it to address “U.S. threats” and serves as the basis for shifting from a military-first policy to a peacetime policy. He also said, “North Korea has its own logic, and the Kim Jong-un regime is not acting on a whim,” adding that it is important to become aware of the gap in perception between that nation and those pressing it to abandon its nuclear program.
Rumi Aoyama, a professor at Waseda University, analyzed the situation from the perspective of China, which has influence on North Korea. Professor Aoyama pointed out the Chinese dilemma, saying, “While China shares with Japan and the U.S. the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, economic sanctions on North Korea can influence China’s economy, since they are economically interdependent.”
Paik Haksoon, the vice-president of the Sejong Institute in South Korea, said that we must look squarely at the reality that sanctions and pressure on North Korea have not been effective and that a path to dialogue must be found. Satoshi Hirose, the vice-director of RECNA added that it is important to find a path to dialogue and negotiations and have North Korea understand the benefits of giving up its nuclear program.
Uzaemonnaotsuka Tokai, an editorial writer for the Chugoku Shimbun, summed up U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima. He said it is now time to pursue a strategy for nuclear abolition that does not depend on Mr. Obama. The five participants also engaged in in-depth debate in the panel discussion.
(Originally published on July 24, 2016)
An international symposium “Security Challenges and Agendas in East Asia: Searching for ‘A World without Nuclear Weapons’” was held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima on July 23. The symposium was hosted by Hiroshima City University, Nagasaki University’s Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) and the Chugoku Shimbun. While U.S. President Barack Obama recently made a historic visit to Hiroshima, East Asia has been beset by thorny conditions over North Korea’s nuclear tests and other concerns.
In front of an audience of 235, Shunji Hiraiwa, a professor at Kwansei Gakuin University, delivered a keynote speech on the Kim Jong-un regime and international relations in East Asia. According to Professor Hiraiwa, North Korea believes that possessing nuclear arms and missiles enables it to address “U.S. threats” and serves as the basis for shifting from a military-first policy to a peacetime policy. He also said, “North Korea has its own logic, and the Kim Jong-un regime is not acting on a whim,” adding that it is important to become aware of the gap in perception between that nation and those pressing it to abandon its nuclear program.
Rumi Aoyama, a professor at Waseda University, analyzed the situation from the perspective of China, which has influence on North Korea. Professor Aoyama pointed out the Chinese dilemma, saying, “While China shares with Japan and the U.S. the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, economic sanctions on North Korea can influence China’s economy, since they are economically interdependent.”
Paik Haksoon, the vice-president of the Sejong Institute in South Korea, said that we must look squarely at the reality that sanctions and pressure on North Korea have not been effective and that a path to dialogue must be found. Satoshi Hirose, the vice-director of RECNA added that it is important to find a path to dialogue and negotiations and have North Korea understand the benefits of giving up its nuclear program.
Uzaemonnaotsuka Tokai, an editorial writer for the Chugoku Shimbun, summed up U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima. He said it is now time to pursue a strategy for nuclear abolition that does not depend on Mr. Obama. The five participants also engaged in in-depth debate in the panel discussion.
(Originally published on July 24, 2016)
