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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP urges government to discard U.S. 'nuclear umbrella'

At the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on June 7, Japanese Communist Party representative Kasai Akira criticized the government for depending on the supposed U.S. "nuclear umbrella."

Reminding the committee that in the 2005 NPT Review Conference the United States reneged on the "unequivocal undertaking" to eliminate nuclear weapons that it had agreed upon in 2000, Kasai argued that the U.S. is increasingly going against the abolition of nuclear weapons.

He also said, "The United States has a preemptive attack strategy including the use of nuclear weapons. How can A-bombed Japan justify its dependence on the U.S. nuclear deterrent?"

Foreign Minister Aso Taro replied, "Japan has no choice but to depend on appropriate deterrents against various outside attacks."

Kasai pointed out that the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan is also based on Japan's dependence on the U.S. "nuclear deterrence." He stated, "Japan as the only A-bombed country in the world should firmly demand that the United States take a step to abolish its nuclear weapons."
- Akahata, June 8, 2006