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by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer

Prior to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference that will kick off in New York on August 1, the Chugoku Shimbun interviewed Minoru Terada, special assistant to Prime Minister Kishida’s Cabinet, representative of Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 5 and person in charge of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation issues. The key person, in charge of working-level negotiations with participating countries, points out that, even amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is possible to reach an agreement on reducing the number of nuclear warheads and non-use of nuclear weapons. Mr. Terada declared his determination to take a step toward “a world free of nuclear weapons.”

- The NPT Review Conference will be held under circumstances where Russia, a member party to the treaty, which is obligated to pursue nuclear disarmament, has threatened use of nuclear weapons.
The fundamental premise is that the NPT Review Conference is a precious opportunity for discussions involving nuclear-weapon states, including Russia. To prevent escalatory and uncontrolled behavior of nuclear-weapon states, such as threat to use nuclear weapons, we seek to reach an agreement that will limit actions by nuclear-weapon states.

- What are your specific goals?
The five nuclear-weapon states, including Russia, issued a joint statement which states “There are no winners in a nuclear war” in January of this year. The binding effect of that statement has not been lost. At the very least, I would like to confirm that nuclear weapons shall never be used again, and that efforts which started after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to ensure that nuclear weapons shall never be used, will continue. On top of that, we hope that an agreement will be reached on reducing the number of nuclear warheads.

- How will you proceed with negotiations with nuclear-weapon states?
I think that working-level negotiations, which will get into full swing after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s speech on the first day of the conference, are exactly where I come into play. I have already met with the nuclear disarmament representative from the United States and the United Kingdom, and shared the idea of pursuing a world without nuclear weapons. With the cooperation of the U.S. and the U.K., I will approach Russia and China. I would also like to attend committees which explore specific measures to advance nuclear disarmament.

- A series of international conferences that discuss nuclear disarmament will follow in Hiroshima, including an international group of eminent persons conference to be held this year and the G7 summit meeting (attended by the Group of Seven industrialized nations) in May next year.
These are unique opportunities to convey to the leaders of nuclear-weapon states gathering in the city that experienced the atomic bomb, the devastating consequences that would occur if nuclear weapons were to be used. To that end, we would like to reach an agreement on nuclear disarmament at this Review Conference and accelerate movement toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.

(Originally published on July 23 2022)