Co-chair of Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations expresses strong indignation, calling Prime Minister Kishida’s nuclear policy “regrettable”
Oct. 15, 2021
by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer
On October 14, Terumi Tanaka, 89, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations, expressed his indignation, following the question-and-answer sessions held at both Diet chambers this week, during which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, representing Hiroshima electoral district No. 1, showed a negative attitude toward signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Mr. Tanaka said, "It is regrettable that Mr. Kishida said relying on U.S. nuclear deterrence is the only way for Japan to secure safety. It wouldn't be surprising if he is considered to be a leader of a client state (of the United States)."
After the organizations' meeting with representatives from each prefecture, Mr. Tanaka pointed out at a news conference that the Kochikai, a faction of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (for which Mr. Kishida serves as leader), had traditionally respected pacifism embodied in Article 9 of the Constitution. He said, "I placed my hopes on Mr. Kishida. I thought he would show his courage once he became a prime minister, but he didn't do so at all."
Mr. Tanaka also referred to Japan's "serving as a bridge" between nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states, for which Mr. Kishida has advocated, and argued, "Japan should not serve as a bridge but propose actions to abolish nuclear weapons enthusiastically."
During the question-and-answer sessions held from October 11-13, Mr. Kishida demonstrated anew his unwillingness to sign and ratify the NPTW, pointing out no participation of nuclear weapon states in the treaty as a problem. He repeated, "We hope to work toward the realization of a world without nuclear weapons after we gain trust of the United States, our only ally."
(Originally published on October 15, 2021)
On October 14, Terumi Tanaka, 89, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations, expressed his indignation, following the question-and-answer sessions held at both Diet chambers this week, during which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, representing Hiroshima electoral district No. 1, showed a negative attitude toward signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Mr. Tanaka said, "It is regrettable that Mr. Kishida said relying on U.S. nuclear deterrence is the only way for Japan to secure safety. It wouldn't be surprising if he is considered to be a leader of a client state (of the United States)."
After the organizations' meeting with representatives from each prefecture, Mr. Tanaka pointed out at a news conference that the Kochikai, a faction of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (for which Mr. Kishida serves as leader), had traditionally respected pacifism embodied in Article 9 of the Constitution. He said, "I placed my hopes on Mr. Kishida. I thought he would show his courage once he became a prime minister, but he didn't do so at all."
Mr. Tanaka also referred to Japan's "serving as a bridge" between nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states, for which Mr. Kishida has advocated, and argued, "Japan should not serve as a bridge but propose actions to abolish nuclear weapons enthusiastically."
During the question-and-answer sessions held from October 11-13, Mr. Kishida demonstrated anew his unwillingness to sign and ratify the NPTW, pointing out no participation of nuclear weapon states in the treaty as a problem. He repeated, "We hope to work toward the realization of a world without nuclear weapons after we gain trust of the United States, our only ally."
(Originally published on October 15, 2021)
