Foreign minister to submit new resolution on nuclear abolition to U.N.
Jul. 31, 2015
by Jumpei Fujimura, Staff Writer
In a June 27 interview with the Chugoku Shimbun, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents Hiroshima District No. 1, said he intended to submit a new resolution on the abolition of nuclear weapons to the United Nations General Assembly session that will get underway in New York in September. Japan has submitted similar resolutions for the past 21 years, but in light of the debate at the review conference for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which closed in May, and the upcoming 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the resolution will be completely rewritten. The focus will be on whether or not the revised version includes language calling on world policymakers to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Mr. Kishida stressed that, while the content of the resolution is still under consideration, he wants to submit a “solid, new resolution” for the 70th anniversary of the A-bombings.
At the NPT review conference, the United States and other nations expressed objections over issues related to the Middle East, and no final document was adopted. But Mr. Kishida said there was general consensus on other issues and that the draft of the final document would form the basis of discussions on the resolution to be submitted to the U.N. Its main points are expected to be transparency of nuclear capability and reducing the role of nuclear weapons.
A request for political leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki was deleted from the draft final document amid opposition from China. Mr. Kishida said the question of whether or not to include such a request would be considered while assessing the reactions of other countries. Previous resolutions have not included such a request.
(Originally published on July 28, 2015)
In a June 27 interview with the Chugoku Shimbun, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents Hiroshima District No. 1, said he intended to submit a new resolution on the abolition of nuclear weapons to the United Nations General Assembly session that will get underway in New York in September. Japan has submitted similar resolutions for the past 21 years, but in light of the debate at the review conference for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which closed in May, and the upcoming 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the resolution will be completely rewritten. The focus will be on whether or not the revised version includes language calling on world policymakers to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Mr. Kishida stressed that, while the content of the resolution is still under consideration, he wants to submit a “solid, new resolution” for the 70th anniversary of the A-bombings.
At the NPT review conference, the United States and other nations expressed objections over issues related to the Middle East, and no final document was adopted. But Mr. Kishida said there was general consensus on other issues and that the draft of the final document would form the basis of discussions on the resolution to be submitted to the U.N. Its main points are expected to be transparency of nuclear capability and reducing the role of nuclear weapons.
A request for political leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki was deleted from the draft final document amid opposition from China. Mr. Kishida said the question of whether or not to include such a request would be considered while assessing the reactions of other countries. Previous resolutions have not included such a request.
(Originally published on July 28, 2015)
