“Hiroshima Round Table” concludes after initiating discussion on nuclear disarmament in East Asia
Aug. 4, 2013
by Kenichiro Nozaki, Staff Writer
The “Hiroshima Round Table,” a meeting to discuss nuclear disarmament and denuclearization in East Asia with researchers and former foreign ministers from five nations in the Asia-Pacific region, including nuclear weapon states, concluded its two-day schedule on July 30. Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki stressed the success of the gathering, saying, “In the midst of East Asia’s reliance on nuclear deterrence, participants from a range of nations began discussing ways to reduce the role of nuclear weapons.”
Sixteen people, including former foreign ministers and university professors from Japan, the United States, China, South Korea, and Australia, engaged in discussion behind closed doors at a hotel in Hiroshima. After the meeting, 11 of the participants appeared at a press conference.
According to these participants, including Kiichi Fujiwara, a professor at the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, and John Ikenberry, a professor at Princeton University, both experts in international politics, the discussion revolved around two points: “expanded deterrence,” which would ensure stability in the region through comprehensive military might that does not rely on nuclear weapons, and confidence-building among the nations of East Asia. They did not elaborate beyond saying that the gathering promoted “active discussion.”
Two experts on nuclear arms control came from China, where tensions have been running high over claims to the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. Shen Dingli, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, stressed that Japan and China must pursue greater dialogue. Li Bin, a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, shared his perspective by saying that new wisdom is needed to solve the challenges facing East Asia. Nuclear weapons are not the answer.
The roundtable meeting, the first in a projected series of meetings, is a component of the prefecture’s “Hiroshima for Global Peace” plan. Hiroshima Prefecture crafted this plan in 2011 to address its role as an A-bombed site. The prefecture plans to continue holding these meetings next year and into the future.
(Originally published on July 31, 2013)
The “Hiroshima Round Table,” a meeting to discuss nuclear disarmament and denuclearization in East Asia with researchers and former foreign ministers from five nations in the Asia-Pacific region, including nuclear weapon states, concluded its two-day schedule on July 30. Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki stressed the success of the gathering, saying, “In the midst of East Asia’s reliance on nuclear deterrence, participants from a range of nations began discussing ways to reduce the role of nuclear weapons.”
Sixteen people, including former foreign ministers and university professors from Japan, the United States, China, South Korea, and Australia, engaged in discussion behind closed doors at a hotel in Hiroshima. After the meeting, 11 of the participants appeared at a press conference.
According to these participants, including Kiichi Fujiwara, a professor at the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, and John Ikenberry, a professor at Princeton University, both experts in international politics, the discussion revolved around two points: “expanded deterrence,” which would ensure stability in the region through comprehensive military might that does not rely on nuclear weapons, and confidence-building among the nations of East Asia. They did not elaborate beyond saying that the gathering promoted “active discussion.”
Two experts on nuclear arms control came from China, where tensions have been running high over claims to the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. Shen Dingli, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, stressed that Japan and China must pursue greater dialogue. Li Bin, a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, shared his perspective by saying that new wisdom is needed to solve the challenges facing East Asia. Nuclear weapons are not the answer.
The roundtable meeting, the first in a projected series of meetings, is a component of the prefecture’s “Hiroshima for Global Peace” plan. Hiroshima Prefecture crafted this plan in 2011 to address its role as an A-bombed site. The prefecture plans to continue holding these meetings next year and into the future.
(Originally published on July 31, 2013)
