August 1, 2022

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira on July 31 sent a letter to President-Designate of the 10th Review Conference of the UN Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Gustavo Zlauvinen (Argentina) and UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi requesting that the NPT be concretely put into practice.

On behalf of the JCP, Kasai will attend the 10th NPT Review Conference starting on August 1 at the UN Headquarters in NYC.

Kasai sent similar letters to the five nuclear-weapon states of the NPT, countries that actively promote the NPT such as Austria, and international antinuke/peace organizations.

He requests in the letter that the conference sincerely listen to atomic-bomb survivors (Hibakusha); the inhumane consequences of the use of nuclear arms be shared as common knowledge; and a clear message that disallows the use or the threat of use of nuclear weapons be sent to every corner of the world. He also requests that all NPT signatories, including nuclear-weapon states, reaffirm the obligations stipulated in the NPT and the terms of related agreements in order to concretely put them into practice.

Under the present situation where Russia continues its war in Ukraine and repeats threatening the use of nuclear weapons, and where other nuclear-weapon states intend to maintain or reinforce their nuclear-weapon capabilities, the conference is desperately required to embark on a legally effective campaign to realize "a world without nuclear weapons", according to the letter.