Editorial: It’s not too late for Japan to participate in nuclear ban talks
Jun. 17, 2017
The second round of U.N. talks on a treaty that would outlaw nuclear weapons will reportedly be the final phase for these negotiations. The draft of this treaty, which prohibits the use, development, production, or possession of nuclear arms, is the first international law that would make these weapons illegal. The wishes and demands of the A-bomb survivors and the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would at last be realized, in spite of the Japanese government’s continuing support for the idea of nuclear deterrence.
The treaty, formally called the Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, would enter into force after being ratified by 40 countries. According to the outlook of some non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the number of proponents of the treaty has already exceeded 100. Although the nuclear weapon states, including the United States, Russia, and China, are not taking part in the latest session, nor are Japan or South Korea, which rely on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, the odds are high that the treaty will be adopted by the end of the conference on July 7.
It has been 72 years since the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. Although it has taken a considerable amount of time, there can be no doubt that the voices of the A-bomb survivors, the “hibakusha,” have helped move the international community toward creating a world free of nuclear weapons. As evidence for this, the preamble of the draft treaty released by the Costa Rican ambassador, the president of the talks, incorporates the term “hibakusha.”
Moreover, the draft treaty mentions the suffering of the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as those affected by the testing of nuclear weapons and states the necessity of providing assistance for them. The draft treaty, which reflects a deep understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the people who experienced a living hell beneath the mushroom clouds created by the atomic bombs and who still suffer from health problems caused by radioactive fallout, should be highly appreciated.
The draft outlines a plan which would lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons. Although it does not include language that specifically prohibits threatening the use of nuclear arms, the draft is mindful of the nuclear-reliant states and forbids all participating nations from assisting and encouraging activities prohibited under the treaty. The draft can be interpreted as a bold and decisive challenge against the nuclear deterrence doctrine that the nuclear weapon states and their allies have justified.
The countries that support the treaty are demanding that the draft also stipulate a prohibition on threatening to use nuclear weapons. There is also unhappiness over the fact that subcritical nuclear tests have been excluded, even though the draft prohibits nuclear tests involving an explosion. Many points must still be discussed.
Most regrettable of all is that Japan, the A-bombed nation, which should be taking the lead in these talks, refuses to even sit at the negotiating table. As a result, the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in particular, feel deeply disappointed and angered by the government’s stance.
On June 16, Fumio Kishida, the minister of foreign affairs, explained why Japan is reluctant to take part in the talks, saying that if the negotiations proceed without the involvement of the nuclear powers, the rift between the nuclear states and non-nuclear states will grow wider. Since announcing that it would not participate in the negotiations back at the beginning of the first round of these talks in March, Japan has turned its back on this process.
North Korea’s repeated nuclear and missile tests combined with the increasing threat from China have created a demand for strengthening the nation’s defense, but measures to counter such threats should involve diplomatic efforts and dialogue, not the application of nuclear deterrence. Moreover, it is abhorrent that Japan, the only country to have ever experienced nuclear attack, is now undermining the nation’s non-nuclear policy.
If Japan continues to cling to its current stance of strongly rebuffing a legal measure to prohibit nuclear weapons, North Korea can counter that nuclear arms are a necessary evil and use Japan’s stance to justify its own nuclear arsenal.
With the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump seeking to upgrade America’s nuclear capability, the risk of global nuclear proliferation is now at its most critical point since the Cold War. Unfortunately, the world is moving in a direction opposite to the policy of phased nuclear reduction advocated by the Japanese government. If the tensions resulting from this “threat for threat” approach rise further, the fear is that a leader will emerge who may place his finger on the nuclear button. To eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons for the entire human race, it is imperative that momentum for the total abolition of nuclear weapons be strengthened.
It is not too late for Japan to join the U.N. talks. With the help of the A-bomb survivors, Japan should work toward creating an environment in which the nuclear weapon states will be moved to join the treaty. The majority of the world’s population now backs the idea of abolishing nuclear weapons. We urge the Japanese government to take a courageous step forward to advance the cause of realizing a world free of nuclear arms.
(Originally published on June 17, 2017)
The treaty, formally called the Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, would enter into force after being ratified by 40 countries. According to the outlook of some non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the number of proponents of the treaty has already exceeded 100. Although the nuclear weapon states, including the United States, Russia, and China, are not taking part in the latest session, nor are Japan or South Korea, which rely on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, the odds are high that the treaty will be adopted by the end of the conference on July 7.
It has been 72 years since the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. Although it has taken a considerable amount of time, there can be no doubt that the voices of the A-bomb survivors, the “hibakusha,” have helped move the international community toward creating a world free of nuclear weapons. As evidence for this, the preamble of the draft treaty released by the Costa Rican ambassador, the president of the talks, incorporates the term “hibakusha.”
Moreover, the draft treaty mentions the suffering of the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as those affected by the testing of nuclear weapons and states the necessity of providing assistance for them. The draft treaty, which reflects a deep understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the people who experienced a living hell beneath the mushroom clouds created by the atomic bombs and who still suffer from health problems caused by radioactive fallout, should be highly appreciated.
The draft outlines a plan which would lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons. Although it does not include language that specifically prohibits threatening the use of nuclear arms, the draft is mindful of the nuclear-reliant states and forbids all participating nations from assisting and encouraging activities prohibited under the treaty. The draft can be interpreted as a bold and decisive challenge against the nuclear deterrence doctrine that the nuclear weapon states and their allies have justified.
The countries that support the treaty are demanding that the draft also stipulate a prohibition on threatening to use nuclear weapons. There is also unhappiness over the fact that subcritical nuclear tests have been excluded, even though the draft prohibits nuclear tests involving an explosion. Many points must still be discussed.
Most regrettable of all is that Japan, the A-bombed nation, which should be taking the lead in these talks, refuses to even sit at the negotiating table. As a result, the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in particular, feel deeply disappointed and angered by the government’s stance.
On June 16, Fumio Kishida, the minister of foreign affairs, explained why Japan is reluctant to take part in the talks, saying that if the negotiations proceed without the involvement of the nuclear powers, the rift between the nuclear states and non-nuclear states will grow wider. Since announcing that it would not participate in the negotiations back at the beginning of the first round of these talks in March, Japan has turned its back on this process.
North Korea’s repeated nuclear and missile tests combined with the increasing threat from China have created a demand for strengthening the nation’s defense, but measures to counter such threats should involve diplomatic efforts and dialogue, not the application of nuclear deterrence. Moreover, it is abhorrent that Japan, the only country to have ever experienced nuclear attack, is now undermining the nation’s non-nuclear policy.
If Japan continues to cling to its current stance of strongly rebuffing a legal measure to prohibit nuclear weapons, North Korea can counter that nuclear arms are a necessary evil and use Japan’s stance to justify its own nuclear arsenal.
With the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump seeking to upgrade America’s nuclear capability, the risk of global nuclear proliferation is now at its most critical point since the Cold War. Unfortunately, the world is moving in a direction opposite to the policy of phased nuclear reduction advocated by the Japanese government. If the tensions resulting from this “threat for threat” approach rise further, the fear is that a leader will emerge who may place his finger on the nuclear button. To eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons for the entire human race, it is imperative that momentum for the total abolition of nuclear weapons be strengthened.
It is not too late for Japan to join the U.N. talks. With the help of the A-bomb survivors, Japan should work toward creating an environment in which the nuclear weapon states will be moved to join the treaty. The majority of the world’s population now backs the idea of abolishing nuclear weapons. We urge the Japanese government to take a courageous step forward to advance the cause of realizing a world free of nuclear arms.
(Originally published on June 17, 2017)
