Prime Minister reports summit results to Lower House Budget Committee, promising to improve nuclear transparency
May 25, 2023
by Yohei Yamamoto and Junya Kuchimoto, Staff Writers
On May 24, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who chaired the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven Industrialized nations), reported the results of the summit during the intensive deliberations of the Lower House Budget Committee. Toward nuclear disarmament, he argued, “The G7 nuclear weapon states have approved to improve transparency. We will expand this effort to other countries.” He also expressed his desire for China to improve transparency in its stockpile of plutonium, the raw material for nuclear weapons.
Regarding the Hiroshima Vision, a document on nuclear disarmament issued at the summit, Mr. Kishida emphasized it provided an opportunity to build international momentum for a world without nuclear weapons. When the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan President Kenta Izumi and other opposition parties pointed out atomic bomb survivors expressed their disappointment at the summit based on the premise of nuclear deterrence, he said, “I am aware there is harsh criticism. How to balance a response to reality and the ideal of a world without nuclear weapons is a major responsibility of politics.”
Mr. Izumi also noted that China has not reported its plutonium inventory to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in recent years. Mr. Kishida said, “I value reporting from the perspective of transparency. I would like to work with China to share this idea.” He also said, “The holding of the G7 summit in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima allowed leaders of the G7 to grasp firsthand the reality of the destruction wrought by the A-bombing. We were also able to achieve great results in having the reality conveyed to all corners of the world.”
Mr. Kishida explained the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed the unwavering solidarity of the G7 with Ukraine and confirmed they would make every effort to bring peace to Ukraine. “It has great historical significance,” he said.
The G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué states they will achieve a society wherein “all people can enjoy vibrant lives free from violence and discrimination independent of gender identity or expression or sexual orientation.” Mr. Kishida said, “I was the chair. I shared the same recognition,” and acknowledged the need to eliminate discrimination against sexual minorities.
(Originally published on May 25, 2023)
On May 24, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who chaired the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven Industrialized nations), reported the results of the summit during the intensive deliberations of the Lower House Budget Committee. Toward nuclear disarmament, he argued, “The G7 nuclear weapon states have approved to improve transparency. We will expand this effort to other countries.” He also expressed his desire for China to improve transparency in its stockpile of plutonium, the raw material for nuclear weapons.
Regarding the Hiroshima Vision, a document on nuclear disarmament issued at the summit, Mr. Kishida emphasized it provided an opportunity to build international momentum for a world without nuclear weapons. When the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan President Kenta Izumi and other opposition parties pointed out atomic bomb survivors expressed their disappointment at the summit based on the premise of nuclear deterrence, he said, “I am aware there is harsh criticism. How to balance a response to reality and the ideal of a world without nuclear weapons is a major responsibility of politics.”
Mr. Izumi also noted that China has not reported its plutonium inventory to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in recent years. Mr. Kishida said, “I value reporting from the perspective of transparency. I would like to work with China to share this idea.” He also said, “The holding of the G7 summit in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima allowed leaders of the G7 to grasp firsthand the reality of the destruction wrought by the A-bombing. We were also able to achieve great results in having the reality conveyed to all corners of the world.”
Mr. Kishida explained the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed the unwavering solidarity of the G7 with Ukraine and confirmed they would make every effort to bring peace to Ukraine. “It has great historical significance,” he said.
The G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué states they will achieve a society wherein “all people can enjoy vibrant lives free from violence and discrimination independent of gender identity or expression or sexual orientation.” Mr. Kishida said, “I was the chair. I shared the same recognition,” and acknowledged the need to eliminate discrimination against sexual minorities.
(Originally published on May 25, 2023)
