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Foreign minister says Japan will not take part in U.N. talks for treaty to ban nuclear arms

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

At a press conference on May 26, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida stated that the Japanese government will not send representatives to take part in the negotiations to establish a treaty to outlaw nuclear weapons that will be held at U.N. headquarters in New York in June and July. Following the government’s refusal to attend the first round of talks in March, there have been calls from Hiroshima and Nagasaki for a change in the government’s stance. But Mr. Kishida, a lawmaker representing Hiroshima District No. 1, again stressed the view that such negotiations would widen the rift between the nuclear and non-nuclear states.

Mr. Kishida spoke unfavorably of the talks, citing, among other factors, the non-participation of the nuclear powers. He said, “The government’s basic attitude has been consistent, and we will maintain this same attitude toward the second round of talks.”

Regarding the requests made from Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the government participate in the negotiations, Mr. Kishida said that the opinions of the A-bomb survivors and the public must be given weight and taken seriously. He emphasized that the government shares with them the goal of realizing a world without nuclear weapons, and went on to explain that the government will advance realistic and practical efforts for nuclear disarmament within a framework that involves both the nuclear and non-nuclear nations.

Asked to comment on the fact that the president of the U.N. conference has announced that the draft of the proposed treaty includes the language “mindful of the suffering…of hibakusha,” Mr. Kishida said that he was unable to comment on the content of the draft since the Japanese government is not a participant in the talks.

(Originally published on May 27, 2017)

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