November 26, 2021

Germany's new government made up of the Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party on November 24 announced that Germany will take part as an observer at the first conference of signatories to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons next March in Vienna, Austria.

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo at a press conference held in the Diet building on the next day said, "It's great to hear that such an important agreement was made among the three parties."

Germany will be the second NATO member after Norway to decide to attend the first N-ban meeting. In contrast, Japan, a military ally of the United States, said that it will not join in the meeting based on its own "political judgement".

Shii said, "The Japanese government should abandon the nuclear deterrence mindset and participate in the talks."

He added, "The world is watching whether Japan follows Norway and Germany," demanding that the only A-bombed country in the world take part in the conference of the Parties at least as an observer.