A-bombed city to promote early entry into force of nuclear weapons ban treaty in 2018
Jan. 1, 2018
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted in July 2017 at the United Nations. Whether the treaty will enter into force with the ratification of more than 50 countries and regions is now the focus of 2018. Mayors for Peace (for which Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui serves as president), A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, and citizens’ groups have been working to disseminate the nuclear weapons ban treaty and promote the early conclusion of this treaty through a signature-collecting campaign. How the nuclear weapon states, which oppose the treaty, and the Japanese government, which relies on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, will respond to the voices of the cities that were attacked with nuclear weapons will be called into question this year.
“Through this petition drive, urge all nations to participate in the treaty as soon as possible!” Last November, Mayors for Peace produced about 2000 leaflets that briefly explain the nuclear weapons ban treaty, including its preamble and prohibitions. The organization is also appealing for cooperation in their signature drive to urge all nations to take part in the treaty as soon as possible. The leaflets are being distributed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and ward offices in the city.
The U.N. member states started to sign and ratify the treaty in September 2017. As of December 8, 56 nations and regions have signed the treaty, and three of them have already completed the final step of the ratification procedures.
“The early entry into force of the treaty is important. We would like to establish a favorable environment for the world’s political leaders to ratify the treaty,” said a representative of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, where the secretariat for Mayors for Peace is located. Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the non-governmental organization (NGO) that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, will visit Hiroshima on January 15. The City of Hiroshima is organizing a meeting between young people and Ms. Fihn during her stay here, hoping to fuel momentum for the treaty to be ratified.
The Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) is promoting the “Hibakusha Appeal,” a campaign to collect signatures in support of having all nations conclude the treaty. In Hiroshima prefecture, seven groups of A-bomb survivors, including two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Prefectural Hidankyo) and Hiroshima Prefectural Consumers’ Co-operative Union, have set up a network to strengthen the signature drive.
The Japanese government opposes the nuclear weapons ban treaty, falling in line with the United States which insists on a phased reduction of nuclear arms. In November 2017, the first session of the Group of Eminent Persons Conference was held in Hiroshima. At the meeting, fifteen experts and other eminent figures from nine nations, including both nuclear-armed states and non-nuclear states, discussed measures to expedite nuclear disarmament. The second session of the conference is scheduled for this March. The Japanese government plans to make use of the opinions offered by the Group of Eminent Persons to put forward a proposal at the second Preparatory Committee of the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which will take place in the spring.
According to the chair of the Group of Eminent Persons Conference, there was a proposal that nuclear weapon states and countries under a nuclear umbrella could participate in the meetings of the State Parties as observers even before they join the treaty. Some members of the Group of Eminent Persons Conference, including Yasuyoshi Komizo, who is the secretary general of Mayors for Peace, think this a good idea as it would help deepen discussions about the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons and the verification measures necessary to dismantle nuclear arsenals, a target of criticism by the nuclear powers because such measures have not been stipulated in the treaty. Tomoyuki Yoshida, the director-general of the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says that, at the moment, Japan hasn’t decided whether or not it will attend the meetings of the State Parties as an observer.
There were other proposals, too, that may be able to gain some understanding from the supporters of the treaty. One of them is the “no first use” of nuclear weapons that can reduce the security role of nuclear arms. However, the Japanese government has shown no signs of changing its policy, insisting that the U.S. nuclear umbrella is necessary due to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development program.
Keywords
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
The first international treaty that completely prohibits the development, possession, use, and threat of using nuclear weapons. The preamble includes these words: “mindful of the unacceptable suffering of and harm caused to the victims of the use of nuclear weapons (hibakusha).” On July 7, 2017, the treaty was adopted at the United Nations with the support of 122 nations and regions. The United States and other nuclear weapon states boycotted the conferences and Japan did not participate in these negotiations. Once 50 nations have ratified the agreement, it will enter into force in 90 days.
(Originally published on January 1, 2018)
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted in July 2017 at the United Nations. Whether the treaty will enter into force with the ratification of more than 50 countries and regions is now the focus of 2018. Mayors for Peace (for which Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui serves as president), A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, and citizens’ groups have been working to disseminate the nuclear weapons ban treaty and promote the early conclusion of this treaty through a signature-collecting campaign. How the nuclear weapon states, which oppose the treaty, and the Japanese government, which relies on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, will respond to the voices of the cities that were attacked with nuclear weapons will be called into question this year.
“Through this petition drive, urge all nations to participate in the treaty as soon as possible!” Last November, Mayors for Peace produced about 2000 leaflets that briefly explain the nuclear weapons ban treaty, including its preamble and prohibitions. The organization is also appealing for cooperation in their signature drive to urge all nations to take part in the treaty as soon as possible. The leaflets are being distributed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and ward offices in the city.
The U.N. member states started to sign and ratify the treaty in September 2017. As of December 8, 56 nations and regions have signed the treaty, and three of them have already completed the final step of the ratification procedures.
“The early entry into force of the treaty is important. We would like to establish a favorable environment for the world’s political leaders to ratify the treaty,” said a representative of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, where the secretariat for Mayors for Peace is located. Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the non-governmental organization (NGO) that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, will visit Hiroshima on January 15. The City of Hiroshima is organizing a meeting between young people and Ms. Fihn during her stay here, hoping to fuel momentum for the treaty to be ratified.
The Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) is promoting the “Hibakusha Appeal,” a campaign to collect signatures in support of having all nations conclude the treaty. In Hiroshima prefecture, seven groups of A-bomb survivors, including two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Prefectural Hidankyo) and Hiroshima Prefectural Consumers’ Co-operative Union, have set up a network to strengthen the signature drive.
The Japanese government opposes the nuclear weapons ban treaty, falling in line with the United States which insists on a phased reduction of nuclear arms. In November 2017, the first session of the Group of Eminent Persons Conference was held in Hiroshima. At the meeting, fifteen experts and other eminent figures from nine nations, including both nuclear-armed states and non-nuclear states, discussed measures to expedite nuclear disarmament. The second session of the conference is scheduled for this March. The Japanese government plans to make use of the opinions offered by the Group of Eminent Persons to put forward a proposal at the second Preparatory Committee of the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which will take place in the spring.
According to the chair of the Group of Eminent Persons Conference, there was a proposal that nuclear weapon states and countries under a nuclear umbrella could participate in the meetings of the State Parties as observers even before they join the treaty. Some members of the Group of Eminent Persons Conference, including Yasuyoshi Komizo, who is the secretary general of Mayors for Peace, think this a good idea as it would help deepen discussions about the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons and the verification measures necessary to dismantle nuclear arsenals, a target of criticism by the nuclear powers because such measures have not been stipulated in the treaty. Tomoyuki Yoshida, the director-general of the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says that, at the moment, Japan hasn’t decided whether or not it will attend the meetings of the State Parties as an observer.
There were other proposals, too, that may be able to gain some understanding from the supporters of the treaty. One of them is the “no first use” of nuclear weapons that can reduce the security role of nuclear arms. However, the Japanese government has shown no signs of changing its policy, insisting that the U.S. nuclear umbrella is necessary due to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development program.
Keywords
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
The first international treaty that completely prohibits the development, possession, use, and threat of using nuclear weapons. The preamble includes these words: “mindful of the unacceptable suffering of and harm caused to the victims of the use of nuclear weapons (hibakusha).” On July 7, 2017, the treaty was adopted at the United Nations with the support of 122 nations and regions. The United States and other nuclear weapon states boycotted the conferences and Japan did not participate in these negotiations. Once 50 nations have ratified the agreement, it will enter into force in 90 days.
(Originally published on January 1, 2018)
