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Majority of municipalities in Japan endorse Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol

by Sakiko Masuda, Staff Writer

On March 17, it was learned that 937 municipalities have signed a petition paper for the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol to express their endorsement. As the number of municipalities in Japan currently stands at 1,777, the number surpasses the majority of all municipalities in Japan. Members of a Hiroshima-based citizen's group called the "Yes! Campaign" have urged mayors throughout Japan to sign the petition. The group is calling for the Japanese government to propose the protocol in April to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference before the conference convenes in May.

The protocol presents a road map for a world free of nuclear weapons by the year 2020. Members of the "Yes! Campaign" have traveled throughout Japan to urge the nation's mayors to sign the petition.

Maeko Nobumoto, 61, secretary general of the campaign, is encouraged by the response and she remarked, "We have been able to realize this number of supporters as a result of reaching them with our desire for the elimination of nuclear weapons."

Meanwhile the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have urged municipal assembly members nationwide to adopt a proposal for the elimination of nuclear weapons. As of March 17, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, 179 municipal assemblies have adopted the proposal.

(Originally published on March 18, 2010)

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Chairmen of Hiroshima and Nagasaki city councils submit proposals regarding Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol to government (Dec. 23, 2009)

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