Germany moves toward participating in TPNW meeting as observer, while Foreign Minister Hayashi again demonstrates Japan’s cautious stance
Nov. 26, 2021
by Koji Higuchi and Junya Kuchimoto, Staff Writers
The three German political parties agreeing in December on the formation of a new government, including the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Green Party of Germany (a political party focused on environmental protection), have incorporated into their policy statement the nation’s participation as an observer in the meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Each of the political parties released the policy document on November 24. On November 25, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (representing Yamaguchi Prefecture’s District No. 3) reiterated Japan’s cautious stance about the country’s participation. “No nuclear weapons states have yet to participate in the treaty,” said Mr. Hayashi.
In a meeting with the media that included the Chugoku Shimbun, Mr. Hayashi referred to the action by Germany’s new government. “We learned about the move from news reports. More than anything, we want to promote nuclear disarmament efforts within a framework in which nuclear weapons states are present,” emphasized Mr. Hayashi. He reiterated that Japan would prioritize the nuclear disarmament talks at the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, scheduled to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in January 2022.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose district includes the A-bombed city of Hiroshima (as a representative of Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 1), calls nuclear abolition his “life’s work.” At the same time, he has noted the severity of the security environment Japan finds itself in, including China’s enhancement of its nuclear capabilities and North Korea’s nuclear weapons development efforts. He insisted that Japan will give top priority to the building of trust with President Joe Biden, leader of Japan’s ally the United States.
The new move by Germany, a nation that, like Japan, exists under protection of the U.S. “nuclear umbrella,” calls into question Prime Minister Kishida’s seriousness about the treaty. At a press conference on November 25, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno reiterated Japan’s current stance. “Rather than participate in the TPNW meeting as an observer, Japan will make efforts to further engage nuclear weapons states in nuclear disarmament as the only nation in the world to have experienced nuclear attacks in wartime.”
(Originally published on November 26, 2021)
The three German political parties agreeing in December on the formation of a new government, including the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Green Party of Germany (a political party focused on environmental protection), have incorporated into their policy statement the nation’s participation as an observer in the meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Each of the political parties released the policy document on November 24. On November 25, Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (representing Yamaguchi Prefecture’s District No. 3) reiterated Japan’s cautious stance about the country’s participation. “No nuclear weapons states have yet to participate in the treaty,” said Mr. Hayashi.
In a meeting with the media that included the Chugoku Shimbun, Mr. Hayashi referred to the action by Germany’s new government. “We learned about the move from news reports. More than anything, we want to promote nuclear disarmament efforts within a framework in which nuclear weapons states are present,” emphasized Mr. Hayashi. He reiterated that Japan would prioritize the nuclear disarmament talks at the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, scheduled to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in January 2022.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose district includes the A-bombed city of Hiroshima (as a representative of Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 1), calls nuclear abolition his “life’s work.” At the same time, he has noted the severity of the security environment Japan finds itself in, including China’s enhancement of its nuclear capabilities and North Korea’s nuclear weapons development efforts. He insisted that Japan will give top priority to the building of trust with President Joe Biden, leader of Japan’s ally the United States.
The new move by Germany, a nation that, like Japan, exists under protection of the U.S. “nuclear umbrella,” calls into question Prime Minister Kishida’s seriousness about the treaty. At a press conference on November 25, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno reiterated Japan’s current stance. “Rather than participate in the TPNW meeting as an observer, Japan will make efforts to further engage nuclear weapons states in nuclear disarmament as the only nation in the world to have experienced nuclear attacks in wartime.”
(Originally published on November 26, 2021)
