Hiroshima mayor returns from NPT confab, reports momentum for nuclear abolition
May 13, 2010
by Sakiko Masuda, Staff Writer
On May 12, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, who attended the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in the United States, held a news conference at Hiroshima City Hall upon his return. Mayor Akiba reflected on his efforts in New York and said, "We have obtained appreciable results with regard to generating international momentum for the elimination of nuclear weapons."
Mr. Akiba stressed that, during his stay in New York, he persistently appealed for the urgency of beginning negotiations for nuclear abolition. He then assessed the response to his appeal, saying, "I have learned that our intention to create broad-ranging partnership in pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons coincides with the intentions of those present at the review conference."
Mayors for Peace, for which Mr. Akiba serves as president, has been calling for the "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol," which seeks the abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020, to be adopted at the NPT Review Conference. However, the proposal has, as yet, not gained such prospects. The mayor commented on this issue by saying, "I expect the Japanese government to deal with the matter actively." At the same time, Mr. Akiba added: "I'm not saying that we cannot abolish nuclear weapons without this protocol. There are many ways to reach the goal of nuclear abolition, including discussions about a nuclear weapons convention that has been proposed by a large number of NGOs."
Mayor Akiba arrived in New York on April 28. He delivered a speech at the NPT Review Conference on May 7, took part in a variety of NGO-related conferences and events, and returned to Japan on May 9.
(Originally published on May 13, 2010)
Related articles
Hiroshima mayor delivers speech at NPT Review Conference, calls for political will in pursuit of nuclear abolition (May 11, 2010)
Active diplomacy by mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for nuclear abolition (May 10, 2010)
Mayors for Peace seeks to step up campaign in pursuit of nuclear abolition (May 7, 2010)
On May 12, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, who attended the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in the United States, held a news conference at Hiroshima City Hall upon his return. Mayor Akiba reflected on his efforts in New York and said, "We have obtained appreciable results with regard to generating international momentum for the elimination of nuclear weapons."
Mr. Akiba stressed that, during his stay in New York, he persistently appealed for the urgency of beginning negotiations for nuclear abolition. He then assessed the response to his appeal, saying, "I have learned that our intention to create broad-ranging partnership in pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons coincides with the intentions of those present at the review conference."
Mayors for Peace, for which Mr. Akiba serves as president, has been calling for the "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol," which seeks the abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020, to be adopted at the NPT Review Conference. However, the proposal has, as yet, not gained such prospects. The mayor commented on this issue by saying, "I expect the Japanese government to deal with the matter actively." At the same time, Mr. Akiba added: "I'm not saying that we cannot abolish nuclear weapons without this protocol. There are many ways to reach the goal of nuclear abolition, including discussions about a nuclear weapons convention that has been proposed by a large number of NGOs."
Mayor Akiba arrived in New York on April 28. He delivered a speech at the NPT Review Conference on May 7, took part in a variety of NGO-related conferences and events, and returned to Japan on May 9.
(Originally published on May 13, 2010)
Related articles
Hiroshima mayor delivers speech at NPT Review Conference, calls for political will in pursuit of nuclear abolition (May 11, 2010)
Active diplomacy by mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for nuclear abolition (May 10, 2010)
Mayors for Peace seeks to step up campaign in pursuit of nuclear abolition (May 7, 2010)
