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26 nations, including Japan, issue joint statement at NPT conference seeking phased nuclear disarmament

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

NEW YORK―On April 30, at the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) now taking place in New York, 26 nations, including Australia and Japan, issued a joint statement seeking phased nuclear disarmament, giving weight to security concerns. Though the statement highlights the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, one purpose of the document appears to be moderating the efforts of other non-nuclear weapon states which wish to pursue a ban on nuclear arms by focusing on their inhumane nature.

A representative from the Australian government read out the statement at the general debate session. The statement emphasizes that eliminating nuclear weapons is only possible through “substantive and constructive engagement” with those nations which possess nuclear arms, and argues that confidence-building measures between countries, such as enhancing the transparency of existing nuclear arsenals, must be pursued. It also recommends steady progress for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.

The statement “welcomed” the other joint statement announced on April 28, which calls for the non-use of nuclear weapons based on their inhumanity and gained the endorsement of 159 countries. However, this new joint statement from 26 countries is substantially different from the other because it makes no mention of the non-use of nuclear weapons.

Japan agreed to both joint statements because many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, including Germany and the Netherlands, which are forming a “nuclear alliance” with the United States, endorsed these statements. However, Japan takes a negative stance when it comes to an early ban on nuclear weapons.

On the same day, a representative from the United Kingdom also presented a joint statement, from five nuclear weapon states, at the general debate session. The statement gave praise to the nuclear nations themselves, saying, “Global stocks of nuclear weapons are at their lowest point in over half a century as the result of unprecedented efforts on the part of the nuclear-weapon States.”

There has been growing global awareness of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons since the last NPT Review Conference took place in 2010. Against this backdrop, the statement from the nuclear powers emphasized, “We are ever cognizant of the severe consequences that would accompany the use of nuclear weapons. We affirm our resolve to prevent such an occurrence from happening.” Additionally, it said, “We note the importance of reducing the role of nuclear weapons in national security strategies.” However, it insisted that “An incremental, step-by-step approach is the only practical option for making progress towards nuclear disarmament.” As mentioned in the joint statement released by 26 countries, it also cautioned against non-nuclear nations pursuing a nuclear weapons convention.

The general debate sessions at the Review Conference concluded on April 30.

(Originally published on May 2, 2015)

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