 Japan Gensuikyo calls for greater common efforts to get nuclear weapons to be abolished The Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) published a statement on May 28 on the result of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. The text of the statement is as follows: 1. The 7th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) ended on May 27 without producing a final document. The important task of this Review Conference was to reconfirm and set to implement the promise of "unequivocal undertaking" made at the previous Review Conference by all participating countries, including the five initial nuclear weapons countries, for working toward abolishing nuclear weapons. We are deeply disappointed by the Review Conference's failure to fulfill this task. At the same time, the sequence of events showed clearly again that international criticism of nuclear superpowers is strong and that the quest for the abolition of nuclear weapons as the guarantee to get nuclear threats to be eliminated is solidly developing. With this deep in mind as our conviction, it is important for us to continue to place emphasis on making progress in cooperation and solidarity with national and local governments as well as non-governmental organizations in the effort to get nuclear weapons abolished. 2. At the latest Review Conference, the U.S. government only focused on non-proliferation issues, rejecting calls for making progress in nuclear disarmament. In fact, it opposed not only the "unequivocal undertaking" to eliminate nuclear arsenals but all other measures which the United States previously supported and which are internationally indisputable, including: the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-ban Treaty; international talks for a treaty banning with verification protocol the production of fissionable nuclear materials; a binding guarantee for no use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons countries; the promotion of a nuclear-free Middle East; and a major reduction of nuclear arsenals. This was how an NPT Review Conference agreement was hampered. Such an attitude of the U.S. Government has aroused opposition internationally and from many governments of state parties to the NPT, bringing into relief the absurdity and isolation of the U.S. Bush administration going against the world's wishes. The world's calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons are now irreversible. 3. It is natural that the international community pursue joint efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. However, such international efforts on the issue of nuclear proliferation would be thwarted by countries that justify their disregard of the call for nuclear disarmament, inspections, and transparency, and continue with the policy of using or threatening to use nuclear weapons under the pretext of "preventing proliferation" of nuclear weapons. If they are to prevent nuclear proliferation, they must stop using the sophistry that "nuclear development by non-nuclear countries is a threat while nuclear weapons countries can increase security" and work to take measures totally banning nuclear weapons as quickly as possible. 4. On the occasion of the Review Conference at this time, Japan Gensuikyo, in solidarity with anti-nuclear organizations, local as well as national governments calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, worked hard to increase awareness and calls for nuclear weapons abolition. At the Review Conference, we submitted more than five million signatures, including those of 1,491 Japanese local government heads, calling for the previous accord on nuclear weapons abolition to be implemented. The discussions at the NPT Review Conference as well as various NGO activities throughout the world have shown that the wish for a world without nuclear weapons has made further progress. Wishing that all peace forces will converge and strengthen their solidarity, we will make every effort to achieve further advances in public awareness and popular movements calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, in particular through bringing to success this year's World Conference against A & H Bombs, marking the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. - Akahata, May 29, 2005 |