Nagasaki mayor speaks at NPT Preparatory Committee meeting, calls for plan to abolish nuclear weapons
May 10, 2012
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer, dispatched from Vienna
On May 2, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue spoke at a meeting of the First NPT Preparatory Committee held in Vienna, Austria, anticipating the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to be convened in 2015. In his speech, Mr. Taue, the vice president of Mayors for Peace, pressed the leaders of the world’s nuclear weapon states to take decisive steps to advance the abolition of nuclear arms, saying, “I would like these leaders to present a plan which conveys when and how a world without nuclear weapons will be achieved.”
After describing the damage suffered by the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the atomic bombing, Mr. Taue wondered aloud whether his listeners have really understood “the true horror of nuclear weapons.” He also urged the governments of the world’s nations to address three concerns, including the process by which nuclear weapons can be eliminated from the earth.
More specifically, Mr. Taue made a strong call for the start of negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention as “a courageous and concrete act for nuclear abolition.”
The mayor also appealed for support in connection with the city of Hiroshima’s effort to host the next review conference in Hiroshima, saying, “No place is more suitable than an A-bombed city for hosting the conference.” Mr. Taue touched upon the issue of North Korean’s nuclear program as well, underscoring the importance of creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Northeast Asia.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who serves as the president of Mayors for Peace, will arrive in Vienna on May 4 and deliver a speech at a workshop hosted by the organization.
On May 2, Kazuyuki Hamada, the parliamentary vice-minister for Foreign Affairs and Japan’s representative at the gathering, also spoke at a meeting of the preparatory committee. Mr. Hamada is a member of the House of Representatives from the Tottori Prefectural Constituency. Referring to the possibility of North Korea conducting nuclear tests, Mr. Hamada sought to discourage North Korea from pursuing “further acts of provocation.” The vice-minister also remarked that, following the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, “Japan is making efforts to establish the highest level of safety at its nuclear energy facilities.”
(Originally published on May 3, 2012)
On May 2, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue spoke at a meeting of the First NPT Preparatory Committee held in Vienna, Austria, anticipating the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to be convened in 2015. In his speech, Mr. Taue, the vice president of Mayors for Peace, pressed the leaders of the world’s nuclear weapon states to take decisive steps to advance the abolition of nuclear arms, saying, “I would like these leaders to present a plan which conveys when and how a world without nuclear weapons will be achieved.”
After describing the damage suffered by the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the atomic bombing, Mr. Taue wondered aloud whether his listeners have really understood “the true horror of nuclear weapons.” He also urged the governments of the world’s nations to address three concerns, including the process by which nuclear weapons can be eliminated from the earth.
More specifically, Mr. Taue made a strong call for the start of negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention as “a courageous and concrete act for nuclear abolition.”
The mayor also appealed for support in connection with the city of Hiroshima’s effort to host the next review conference in Hiroshima, saying, “No place is more suitable than an A-bombed city for hosting the conference.” Mr. Taue touched upon the issue of North Korean’s nuclear program as well, underscoring the importance of creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Northeast Asia.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who serves as the president of Mayors for Peace, will arrive in Vienna on May 4 and deliver a speech at a workshop hosted by the organization.
On May 2, Kazuyuki Hamada, the parliamentary vice-minister for Foreign Affairs and Japan’s representative at the gathering, also spoke at a meeting of the preparatory committee. Mr. Hamada is a member of the House of Representatives from the Tottori Prefectural Constituency. Referring to the possibility of North Korea conducting nuclear tests, Mr. Hamada sought to discourage North Korea from pursuing “further acts of provocation.” The vice-minister also remarked that, following the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, “Japan is making efforts to establish the highest level of safety at its nuclear energy facilities.”
(Originally published on May 3, 2012)
