Japanese foreign minister speaks in Hiroshima on nation’s support for joint statement against nuclear arms
Oct. 18, 2013
by Kenichiro Nozaki, Staff Writer
In a speech made on the streets of downtown Hiroshima on October 12, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida stressed Japan’s duty, as the A-bombed nation, to spearhead the global discussion on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Mr. Kishida, elected from district one in Hiroshima, made these remarks in connection with Japan’s announcement that it will support a joint statement which emphasizes the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and calls for these arms never to be used.
Why Japan has chosen to back such a statement now, while declining to support similar statements three times in the past, Mr. Kishida explained that Japan came to this conclusion after certain language which would affect Japan’s security policy was adjusted in cooperation with other nations. The foreign minister also expressed determination to make the presence of Japanese diplomacy felt at such gatherings as the foreign ministerial meeting for the Non-proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI), to take place in Hiroshima next spring.
After his speech, Mr. Kishida told reporters that endorsing the statement is a significant step forward, but it is nevertheless vital to take a realistic approach in advancing toward a world free of nuclear weapons.
(Originally published on October 13, 2013)
In a speech made on the streets of downtown Hiroshima on October 12, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida stressed Japan’s duty, as the A-bombed nation, to spearhead the global discussion on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Mr. Kishida, elected from district one in Hiroshima, made these remarks in connection with Japan’s announcement that it will support a joint statement which emphasizes the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and calls for these arms never to be used.
Why Japan has chosen to back such a statement now, while declining to support similar statements three times in the past, Mr. Kishida explained that Japan came to this conclusion after certain language which would affect Japan’s security policy was adjusted in cooperation with other nations. The foreign minister also expressed determination to make the presence of Japanese diplomacy felt at such gatherings as the foreign ministerial meeting for the Non-proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI), to take place in Hiroshima next spring.
After his speech, Mr. Kishida told reporters that endorsing the statement is a significant step forward, but it is nevertheless vital to take a realistic approach in advancing toward a world free of nuclear weapons.
(Originally published on October 13, 2013)
