Japan urges “visit to A-bombed cities” be restored to draft of NPT final document
May 26, 2015
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
NEW YORK--On May 15, the Main Committee I (Disarmament) of the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), now taking place at United Nations headquarters in New York, continued its discussion on the disarmament section of the final document. Japan called for wording which would encourage world leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was cut from the latest draft, to be restored. Several countries expressed their support for Japan’s position, but China stood firm in its refusal, saying that the matter had been sufficiently discussed. The revised draft that was circulated to member nations afterward does not include the wording Japan had sought.
In the discussion, Toshio Sano, the Japanese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, stressed the increasing international awareness of the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. He said that “A visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most effective ways to convey the necessity of nuclear arms reduction” to the next generations, and urged that this reference to a visit to the two A-bombed cities be included in the final document.
Supporting Japan’s proposal, a representative of the Philippine government said, “The wording is not about World War II, but about informing the world, through Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the extent to which nuclear weapons can wreak destruction.” Estonia and Nigeria agreed with this view.
However, Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Fu Cong said Japan has repeatedly denied its “history of invading” other nations. “I hope that the Japanese delegation can show sensitivity to the feelings of other countries and not insist on this proposal,” he said.
The revised draft retains text which promotes discussion on establishing a legally binding framework for abolishing nuclear arms, including a nuclear weapons convention. However, the wording was modified in line with opposition from the nuclear weapon states. Although the chairperson of the Main Committee I will seek to adopt the document as early as May 18, the prospects for this are poor due to significant divisions between the nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states. The Review Conference, which runs through May 22, will culminate in preparations for the final document, incorporating the draft documents produced in the Main Committees I through III.
(Originally published on May 17, 2015)
NEW YORK--On May 15, the Main Committee I (Disarmament) of the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), now taking place at United Nations headquarters in New York, continued its discussion on the disarmament section of the final document. Japan called for wording which would encourage world leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was cut from the latest draft, to be restored. Several countries expressed their support for Japan’s position, but China stood firm in its refusal, saying that the matter had been sufficiently discussed. The revised draft that was circulated to member nations afterward does not include the wording Japan had sought.
In the discussion, Toshio Sano, the Japanese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, stressed the increasing international awareness of the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. He said that “A visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most effective ways to convey the necessity of nuclear arms reduction” to the next generations, and urged that this reference to a visit to the two A-bombed cities be included in the final document.
Supporting Japan’s proposal, a representative of the Philippine government said, “The wording is not about World War II, but about informing the world, through Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the extent to which nuclear weapons can wreak destruction.” Estonia and Nigeria agreed with this view.
However, Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Fu Cong said Japan has repeatedly denied its “history of invading” other nations. “I hope that the Japanese delegation can show sensitivity to the feelings of other countries and not insist on this proposal,” he said.
The revised draft retains text which promotes discussion on establishing a legally binding framework for abolishing nuclear arms, including a nuclear weapons convention. However, the wording was modified in line with opposition from the nuclear weapon states. Although the chairperson of the Main Committee I will seek to adopt the document as early as May 18, the prospects for this are poor due to significant divisions between the nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states. The Review Conference, which runs through May 22, will culminate in preparations for the final document, incorporating the draft documents produced in the Main Committees I through III.
(Originally published on May 17, 2015)
