Japanese prime minister to send foreign minister to upcoming NPT review conference
Apr. 8, 2015
by Jumpei Fujimura and Osamu Kido, Staff Writers
On April 1, at the budget committee meeting of the Upper House of the Japanese Diet, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commented on efforts for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and stressed the significance of world leaders visiting the A-bombed cities. “I would like political leaders throughout the world to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and understand the reality of the atomic bombings,” he said. Though the City of Hiroshima is seeking to host the G-8 summit that will be held in Japan in 2016, Mr. Abe offered no thoughts for or against holding the summit in Hiroshima.
Mr. Abe’s comments came in response to a question from Shinji Morimoto, a member of the Upper House from Hiroshima who is a member of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). The prime minister asserted that, if world leaders visit the A-bombed cities and come into direct contact with the devastation caused by the bombings, “this will lead to a greater desire for a world without nuclear weapons.”
Mr. Morimoto also raised the matter of next year’s summit and asked Mr. Abe to promote efforts to realize a visit to Hiroshima by U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders. But Mr. Abe said simply, “A visit to Hiroshima by world leaders would be meaningful for strengthening opportunities to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.”
With regard to the host city for the summit, a decision the prime minister is scheduled to make this month, Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said at a press conference on April 1, “I don’t know if this will be decided by the end of April. The host city will be determined before Mr. Abe goes to the summit in Germany in June.”
At the budget committee meeting, Mr. Abe also indicated his intention to send Fumio Kishida, the foreign minister, to the upcoming Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will open in New York on April 27.
In order to verify the effectiveness of the NPT, which took effect in 1970, review conferences have been held every five years since 1995. The Japanese foreign minister will be participating in this meeting for the first time in 10 years. Mr. Abe said, “As the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings, Japan will play a leading role in international efforts to realize a world free from nuclear weapons. If circumstances permit, I plan to send the foreign minister, a native of Hiroshima.”
(Originally published on April 2, 2015)
On April 1, at the budget committee meeting of the Upper House of the Japanese Diet, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commented on efforts for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and stressed the significance of world leaders visiting the A-bombed cities. “I would like political leaders throughout the world to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and understand the reality of the atomic bombings,” he said. Though the City of Hiroshima is seeking to host the G-8 summit that will be held in Japan in 2016, Mr. Abe offered no thoughts for or against holding the summit in Hiroshima.
Mr. Abe’s comments came in response to a question from Shinji Morimoto, a member of the Upper House from Hiroshima who is a member of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). The prime minister asserted that, if world leaders visit the A-bombed cities and come into direct contact with the devastation caused by the bombings, “this will lead to a greater desire for a world without nuclear weapons.”
Mr. Morimoto also raised the matter of next year’s summit and asked Mr. Abe to promote efforts to realize a visit to Hiroshima by U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders. But Mr. Abe said simply, “A visit to Hiroshima by world leaders would be meaningful for strengthening opportunities to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.”
With regard to the host city for the summit, a decision the prime minister is scheduled to make this month, Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said at a press conference on April 1, “I don’t know if this will be decided by the end of April. The host city will be determined before Mr. Abe goes to the summit in Germany in June.”
At the budget committee meeting, Mr. Abe also indicated his intention to send Fumio Kishida, the foreign minister, to the upcoming Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will open in New York on April 27.
In order to verify the effectiveness of the NPT, which took effect in 1970, review conferences have been held every five years since 1995. The Japanese foreign minister will be participating in this meeting for the first time in 10 years. Mr. Abe said, “As the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings, Japan will play a leading role in international efforts to realize a world free from nuclear weapons. If circumstances permit, I plan to send the foreign minister, a native of Hiroshima.”
(Originally published on April 2, 2015)
