March 5, 2025

On March 3, the opening day of the Third Meeting of State Parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (3MSP TPNW), Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko and JCP member of the former House of Representatives Kasai Akira, both visiting New York City to observe the 3MSP, spoke at a parliamentarians’ conference held at the UN Headquarters.

The conference hosted by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) took place as part of 3MSP-related events with the participation of 22 parliamentarians from 14 countries including U.S. allies such as Belgium, Germany, and Norway.

Kira stated that the TPNW was established in response to A-bomb survivors’ (Hibakusha) concern over the catastrophic humanitarian consequences associated with the use of nuclear weapons. She said, “We, parliamentarians, should work on non-member states to break free from the ‘nuclear deterrence’ doctrine and participate in the treaty.”

Kasai stressed, “The ‘nuclear deterrence’ policy that presupposes the use of nuclear weapons endangers the security of all humanity.” He criticized the Japanese government for refusing to join the TPNW while recognizing “the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons”, adding that it is unacceptable for the Japanese government to depend on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” and move toward a huge military buildup and the further strengthening of nuclear deterrence doctrine.

Kasai said that if the fear of war is removed with efforts to build peace through inclusiveness and dialogue and put a stop to any move to increase conflicts and tensions, this will eliminate the basis for relying on nuclear deterrence.

Parliamentarians from U.S. allies, such as Belgium, Germany, and Norway, talked about the significance of the TPNW. In addition, many participants in their remarks placed importance on international solidarity in efforts to overcome the nuclear deterrence theory.