“Work with all might for a nuclear-free world,” Kishida asserts in interview, “but only after moving nuclear weapons states”
Oct. 5, 2021
by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer
On October 4, the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (representative of the Lower House of Hiroshima electoral district No. 1), the 100th prime minister in the history of Japan’s constitutional government, and the first elected from the A-bombed city, began. Mr. Kishida’s stance, making the abolition of nuclear weapons his lifetime’s work, assumes the mantle of two former prime ministers who advocated for peace and disarmament from Hiroshima to the world. They were Tomosaburo Kato who took the initiative on disarmament during the Taisho era (1912-1926), and Kiichi Miyazawa who served as prime minister in the early 1990s at the end of the Cold War.
On the evening of October 4, during a press interview held after assuming the premiership, Mr. Kishida asserted, “As prime minister from the atomic bombed city of Hiroshima, I will exert every effort to work toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
A book he authored and published last autumn is titled “Kakuheiki-no-nai Sekai-e. Yuki-aru Heiwa-kokka no Kokorozashi (Toward a world without nuclear weapons --- Aspirations of a Courageous Peace-loving Nation).” Mentioning his efforts to ensure Mr. Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, as the first incumbent U.S. president to do so in May 2016 when Mr. Kishida was foreign minister, he wrote that the abolition of nuclear weapons was his responsibility as a politician of the only country to have suffered the devastation of an atomic bomb.
However, the process of the total abolition of nuclear weapons has been criticized as being too dependent upon the United States, whose nuclear umbrella Japan stands under. Mr. Kishida emphasized at the press conference on October 4 that Japan faced a harsh reality (regarding the abolition of nuclear weapons) while he was serving as foreign minister and added, “Reality will change only after we move the nuclear weapons states.”
Mr. Kishida’s perspective overlaps with the Taisho-era prime minister Tomosaburo Kato in that he places priority on Japan’s relationship with the United States. At the 1921-1922 Washington Naval Conference held 100 years ago, Mr. Kato’s decision to reduce capital ship tonnage fell in step with the wishes of the United States. It is widely thought that his decision was a realistic option that eye Japan’s economic strength as dependent upon the United States.
Mr. Miyazawa, who held office between 1991 and 1993, placed great importance on the pacifism stipulated in Article 9 of the Constitution and was regarded as a typical representative of moderate doves. On the other hand, in 1976 when he was foreign minister, he led the decision to ratify the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) on the assumption that U.S. nuclear capability would serve as a nuclear deterrent for Japan. In the 1993 Lower House election, with the support of Mr. Miyazawa, Mr. Kishida was elected for the first time and has since considered Mr. Miyazawa his political mentor.
In January 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force. This treaty, worked out by non-nuclear weapons states, stipulates that the existence of nuclear weapons is “illegal.” Although 56 countries and regions have ratified the treaty and the treaty continues to gain widespread support around the world, Mr. Kishida adheres to a realistic approach (according to a high-ranking official at the Foreign Ministry) in which Japan will never join the treaty alone, stating, “It is the responsibility of the only A-bombed country to bring the United States into the treaty with us.”
“Why has Japan, the only A-bombed country, not taken the initiative in calling for support of the treaty?” And, why does the government continue to turn its back on the treaty? A-bombed survivors are deeply and sadly disappointed.
At the beginning of next year, the once-every-five-years NPT Review Conference will be held, and in March, the first meeting of state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will be held. The skill of the leader who carries the expectations of the citizens of Hiroshima will soon be put to the test.
(Originally published on October 5, 2021)
On October 4, the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (representative of the Lower House of Hiroshima electoral district No. 1), the 100th prime minister in the history of Japan’s constitutional government, and the first elected from the A-bombed city, began. Mr. Kishida’s stance, making the abolition of nuclear weapons his lifetime’s work, assumes the mantle of two former prime ministers who advocated for peace and disarmament from Hiroshima to the world. They were Tomosaburo Kato who took the initiative on disarmament during the Taisho era (1912-1926), and Kiichi Miyazawa who served as prime minister in the early 1990s at the end of the Cold War.
On the evening of October 4, during a press interview held after assuming the premiership, Mr. Kishida asserted, “As prime minister from the atomic bombed city of Hiroshima, I will exert every effort to work toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
A book he authored and published last autumn is titled “Kakuheiki-no-nai Sekai-e. Yuki-aru Heiwa-kokka no Kokorozashi (Toward a world without nuclear weapons --- Aspirations of a Courageous Peace-loving Nation).” Mentioning his efforts to ensure Mr. Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, as the first incumbent U.S. president to do so in May 2016 when Mr. Kishida was foreign minister, he wrote that the abolition of nuclear weapons was his responsibility as a politician of the only country to have suffered the devastation of an atomic bomb.
However, the process of the total abolition of nuclear weapons has been criticized as being too dependent upon the United States, whose nuclear umbrella Japan stands under. Mr. Kishida emphasized at the press conference on October 4 that Japan faced a harsh reality (regarding the abolition of nuclear weapons) while he was serving as foreign minister and added, “Reality will change only after we move the nuclear weapons states.”
Mr. Kishida’s perspective overlaps with the Taisho-era prime minister Tomosaburo Kato in that he places priority on Japan’s relationship with the United States. At the 1921-1922 Washington Naval Conference held 100 years ago, Mr. Kato’s decision to reduce capital ship tonnage fell in step with the wishes of the United States. It is widely thought that his decision was a realistic option that eye Japan’s economic strength as dependent upon the United States.
Mr. Miyazawa, who held office between 1991 and 1993, placed great importance on the pacifism stipulated in Article 9 of the Constitution and was regarded as a typical representative of moderate doves. On the other hand, in 1976 when he was foreign minister, he led the decision to ratify the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) on the assumption that U.S. nuclear capability would serve as a nuclear deterrent for Japan. In the 1993 Lower House election, with the support of Mr. Miyazawa, Mr. Kishida was elected for the first time and has since considered Mr. Miyazawa his political mentor.
In January 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force. This treaty, worked out by non-nuclear weapons states, stipulates that the existence of nuclear weapons is “illegal.” Although 56 countries and regions have ratified the treaty and the treaty continues to gain widespread support around the world, Mr. Kishida adheres to a realistic approach (according to a high-ranking official at the Foreign Ministry) in which Japan will never join the treaty alone, stating, “It is the responsibility of the only A-bombed country to bring the United States into the treaty with us.”
“Why has Japan, the only A-bombed country, not taken the initiative in calling for support of the treaty?” And, why does the government continue to turn its back on the treaty? A-bombed survivors are deeply and sadly disappointed.
At the beginning of next year, the once-every-five-years NPT Review Conference will be held, and in March, the first meeting of state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will be held. The skill of the leader who carries the expectations of the citizens of Hiroshima will soon be put to the test.
(Originally published on October 5, 2021)
