Conference for promotion of peace held in Tokyo: "Japan should exercise leadership as A-bombed nation"
Mar. 24, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
On March 23, the city of Nagasaki and the National Council of Japan Nuclear Free Local Authorities, which is chaired by Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue and composed of 260 local governments, convened a special conference in Tokyo for the promotion of peace in order to discuss prospects for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference this coming May. About 60 people, including the staff of local governments and citizens, took part in the conference.
Hideo Tsuchiyama, former president of Nagasaki University, served as facilitator and five specialists on disarmament exchanged views. Hiromichi Umebayashi, special advisor to Peace Depot, a nonprofit organization (NPO) based in the city of Yokohama, requested that the Japanese government exercise leadership as the A-bombed nation by announcing its intention to promote the Northeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone at the NPT Review Conference. In connection with this request, Mitsuru Kurosawa, a professor at Osaka Jogakuin College, pointed out, "The attitude of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has not changed much since the previous administration. It is vital to bring about a change in this attitude through the voice of citizens."
The report on MOFA's investigation of the secret nuclear pacts with the United States also arose during the discussion. Nagao Hyodo, former professor at Tokyo Keizai University, who also served as director-general of the European Oceanic Affairs Bureau of MOFA, issued a warning with regard to reviewing the three non-nuclear principles, saying, "A move against the international trend toward the elimination of nuclear weapons should not be made in Japan."
(Originally published on March 24, 2010)
On March 23, the city of Nagasaki and the National Council of Japan Nuclear Free Local Authorities, which is chaired by Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue and composed of 260 local governments, convened a special conference in Tokyo for the promotion of peace in order to discuss prospects for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference this coming May. About 60 people, including the staff of local governments and citizens, took part in the conference.
Hideo Tsuchiyama, former president of Nagasaki University, served as facilitator and five specialists on disarmament exchanged views. Hiromichi Umebayashi, special advisor to Peace Depot, a nonprofit organization (NPO) based in the city of Yokohama, requested that the Japanese government exercise leadership as the A-bombed nation by announcing its intention to promote the Northeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone at the NPT Review Conference. In connection with this request, Mitsuru Kurosawa, a professor at Osaka Jogakuin College, pointed out, "The attitude of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has not changed much since the previous administration. It is vital to bring about a change in this attitude through the voice of citizens."
The report on MOFA's investigation of the secret nuclear pacts with the United States also arose during the discussion. Nagao Hyodo, former professor at Tokyo Keizai University, who also served as director-general of the European Oceanic Affairs Bureau of MOFA, issued a warning with regard to reviewing the three non-nuclear principles, saying, "A move against the international trend toward the elimination of nuclear weapons should not be made in Japan."
(Originally published on March 24, 2010)
