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Survivors of Hiroshima welcome Japan’s decision to support joint statement on non-use of nuclear weapons

by Kohei Okata and Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writers

On October 11, the Japanese government announced that it will support, for the first time, a joint statement on the humanitarian impact and non-use of nuclear weapons. The survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima welcome the change in government policy, saying that their wish has finally been heard. Concerns remain, however, about Japan’s contradictory stance, ostensibly working in concert with the international community while continuing to rely on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for the nation’s security.

Kunihiko Sakuma, 68, vice chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organization, chaired by Kazushi Kaneko, expressed relief at news of the government’s decision. “In today’s world, if Japan aims to abolish nuclear weapons, it has no other option but to endorse the joint statement,” he said.

Mr. Sakuma visited Geneva, Switzerland in April in conjunction with the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 NPT Review Conference. In Geneva, he joined other NGO members in a protest against Japan, which would not back a similar joint statement on nuclear weapons at that time. Pleased to hear the news, Mr. Sakuma said, “Our efforts have been rewarded.”

On the same day, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who had made a direct protest in Geneva to Mari Amano, the Ambassador of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, responded to reporters’ questions at city hall. “This is a step forward,” the mayor said. “The national government has listened to the voices of many who wish for nuclear abolition.”

A-bomb survivors, however, also pointed out the possibility that Japan might still permit the use of nuclear arms, depending on the situation. This stance became clear when Japan chose not to endorse similar statements in the past.

Toshiyuki Mimaki, 71, secretary-general of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi, commented, “Japan apparently decided to sign the statement because the government was criticized by the international community and by the public. I can’t be pleased until I see the document. We must study Japan’s stance and see if the government is actually willing to break away from its policy of relying on the nuclear umbrella.”

The call for the complete non-use of nuclear weapons will be included in the forthcoming statement, too. Japan decided to sign it after confirming that the statement will not be legally binding. Kazumi Mizumoto, vice president of the Hiroshima Peace Institute at Hiroshima City University and an expert on nuclear disarmament, said, “This statement is a step toward realizing a nuclear weapons convention. Japan must show its own initiative toward that goal without playing politics.”

[History of the international community highlighting the inhumanity of nuclear weapons]

2010
April: Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, says that the use of nuclear weapons would entail inhumane consequences.
May: The final document of the NPT Review Conference refers to the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons.

2011
November: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement adopts a resolution in Geneva, stressing the inhumane suffering caused by nuclear arms.

2012
May: A joint statement is issued by 16 nations at the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 NPT Review Conference, held in Vienna, Austria, calling for stronger efforts to outlaw nuclear weapons. Japan does not back the statement.
October: At the U.N. General Assembly, 34 nations including Switzerland announce a joint statement on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and call for efforts to outlaw nuclear arms. Japan does not back the statement.

2013
March: Norway hosts a conference in Oslo on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. Delegations from 127 countries and regions including Japan attend the conference.
April: At the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 NPT Review Conference, held in Geneva, 74 nations including South Africa release a joint statement on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. Japan does not back the statement.

(Originally published on October 12, 2013)

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