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Japanese foreign minister to explain effort for nuclear-free world to Trump administration

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

On February 21, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was interviewed by the Chugoku Shimbun and indicated that he would seek the cooperation of the Trump administration in order to advance the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. A month has now passed since Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States. Mr. Kishida said, “I will fully explain the efforts that Japan has been contemplating to reach that goal.”

Regarding the Trump administration’s policy on nuclear abolition, Mr. Kishida said firmly, “I think the United States still shares with Japan the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.” This belief, he said, is based on the fact that the U.S. government has not, to date, informed him of any change in policy.

Mr. Kishida also expressed his desire to strengthen mutual efforts with the United States, saying, “I will explain how the Japanese government plans to play a leading role in discussions on nuclear abolition within the international community and facilitate better communication among nations.” He said that these continuing efforts would be realistic and practical, including the call to nuclear nations to show greater transparency in their nuclear weapons capability.

About the multilateral negotiations to discuss a treaty to outlaw nuclear weapons, which will begin in March at United Nations headquarters in New York, Mr. Kishida said that the Japanese government hasn’t yet decided if it will take part in these negotiations. He stressed that the desired outcome won’t be achieved through one-sided discussions without the cooperation of the nuclear powers, and said that he would seek to understand the intentions of the meeting and how the talks can proceed effectively. As to why Japan was absent from the preparatory session for the negotiations, which took place on February 16, he said, “I felt that concrete actions should be taken after making a decision on whether or not we would participate.”

This month Mr. Kishida visited the United States and spoke with Rex Tillerson, the new U.S. secretary of state. He was also present at the summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at that time. He stressed that the outcome of these talks was fruitful, saying, “We were able to confirm that the Japan-U.S. alliance will remain robust.”

(Originally published on February 22, 2017)

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