March 2, 2025
Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko and JCP member of the former House of Representatives Kasai Akira have sent their messages for the success of the Third Meeting of State Parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to Kazakhstan Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin who will serve as President and Nakamitsu Izumi, UN under-secretary-general/high representative for disarmament.
The full text of the written request is as follows:
Requests to the Third Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
March 2025
Kira Yoshiko
Member of the House of Councillors of Japan, Japanese Communist Party
Kasai Akira
Former Member of the House of Representatives of Japan, Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party expresses its sincere respect in solidarity to the representatives of governments and civil societies who are working hard in preparation for the convening and success of the Third Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The absence of any representation by the Japanese government is very disappointing. As a political party in the only country in the world that suffered nuclear attacks, the JCP would like to articulate what Japanese general public has been longing for.
Today, the situation surrounding nuclear weapons is grave and this year marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this context, it is especially necessary for this year’s Meeting to send a strong message that nuclear weapons must never be used again and should be banned and abolished.
The growing support for and widening participation in the TPNW offers a beacon of hope. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations is another encouraging sign. Convinced that a breakthrough to the crisis can be achieved through cooperation between state governments and civil society members including atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha), the JCP calls on the participants of the Meeting to take notice of the following requests.
1. It is necessary to accelerate the initiative to highlight the catastrophic humanitarian consequences associated with the use of nuclear weapons by organizing various events, whether international conferences or local meetings, to hear testimonies from Hibakusha and nuclear test survivors. The preamble of the TPNW states that the State Parties are “[d]eeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons”. The humanitarian approach is now crucially important. Hibakusha are racing against time as they enter old age. The JCP urges greater efforts, in cooperation with civil societies, in order for policymakers and citizens to be able to meet with Hibakusha and hear their firsthand accounts.
2. The JCP calls for stronger international efforts to move away from adherence to the concept of nuclear deterrence. Any use of nuclear weapons would result in catastrophic humanitarian and security consequences. Recognizing the inhumane nature of the horrors witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while at the same time pursuing a policy of nuclear deterrence that presupposes the use of nuclear weapons, is fundamentally inconsistent and endangers the security of all humanity. It generates an arms race, and if deterrence fails, it will bring an irreversible catastrophe to the entire world. The only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons will never be used again under any circumstances is not through nuclear deterrence but through the abolition of nuclear weapons. The JCP hopes that this meeting will make a significant contribution to overcoming the reliance on nuclear deterrence.
3. The JCP urges the promotion of concrete measures to assist Hibakusha and victims of nuclear testing and environmental remediation, as mandated by the TPNW. The informal working group on this issue has been working vigorously, including interviewing victims and considering the establishment of an international fund. In order to facilitate this process, the participation of victims, civil society organizations supporting them, and the cooperation of non-signatory states is important. The JCP calls on the Japanese government to make a positive contribution to this effort even before joining the TPNW.
The JCP is working hard to ensure that the Japanese government breaks with the reliance on nuclear deterrence and joins the TPNW. In East Asia, where there are confrontations and tensions, we propose to build peace through inclusiveness and dialogue. Eliminating the fear of war will eliminate the basis for relying on nuclear deterrence.
The TPNW stresses the importance of the UN Charter. Both Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Israel’s attack on Gaza Strip must be resolved in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.
The JCP hopes that the Third Meeting of the States Parties to the TPNW will achieve a great success toward the realization of a peaceful and just world without nuclear weapons.
The full text of the written request is as follows:
Requests to the Third Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
March 2025
Kira Yoshiko
Member of the House of Councillors of Japan, Japanese Communist Party
Kasai Akira
Former Member of the House of Representatives of Japan, Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party expresses its sincere respect in solidarity to the representatives of governments and civil societies who are working hard in preparation for the convening and success of the Third Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The absence of any representation by the Japanese government is very disappointing. As a political party in the only country in the world that suffered nuclear attacks, the JCP would like to articulate what Japanese general public has been longing for.
Today, the situation surrounding nuclear weapons is grave and this year marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this context, it is especially necessary for this year’s Meeting to send a strong message that nuclear weapons must never be used again and should be banned and abolished.
The growing support for and widening participation in the TPNW offers a beacon of hope. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations is another encouraging sign. Convinced that a breakthrough to the crisis can be achieved through cooperation between state governments and civil society members including atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha), the JCP calls on the participants of the Meeting to take notice of the following requests.
1. It is necessary to accelerate the initiative to highlight the catastrophic humanitarian consequences associated with the use of nuclear weapons by organizing various events, whether international conferences or local meetings, to hear testimonies from Hibakusha and nuclear test survivors. The preamble of the TPNW states that the State Parties are “[d]eeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons”. The humanitarian approach is now crucially important. Hibakusha are racing against time as they enter old age. The JCP urges greater efforts, in cooperation with civil societies, in order for policymakers and citizens to be able to meet with Hibakusha and hear their firsthand accounts.
2. The JCP calls for stronger international efforts to move away from adherence to the concept of nuclear deterrence. Any use of nuclear weapons would result in catastrophic humanitarian and security consequences. Recognizing the inhumane nature of the horrors witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while at the same time pursuing a policy of nuclear deterrence that presupposes the use of nuclear weapons, is fundamentally inconsistent and endangers the security of all humanity. It generates an arms race, and if deterrence fails, it will bring an irreversible catastrophe to the entire world. The only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons will never be used again under any circumstances is not through nuclear deterrence but through the abolition of nuclear weapons. The JCP hopes that this meeting will make a significant contribution to overcoming the reliance on nuclear deterrence.
3. The JCP urges the promotion of concrete measures to assist Hibakusha and victims of nuclear testing and environmental remediation, as mandated by the TPNW. The informal working group on this issue has been working vigorously, including interviewing victims and considering the establishment of an international fund. In order to facilitate this process, the participation of victims, civil society organizations supporting them, and the cooperation of non-signatory states is important. The JCP calls on the Japanese government to make a positive contribution to this effort even before joining the TPNW.
The JCP is working hard to ensure that the Japanese government breaks with the reliance on nuclear deterrence and joins the TPNW. In East Asia, where there are confrontations and tensions, we propose to build peace through inclusiveness and dialogue. Eliminating the fear of war will eliminate the basis for relying on nuclear deterrence.
The TPNW stresses the importance of the UN Charter. Both Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Israel’s attack on Gaza Strip must be resolved in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.
The JCP hopes that the Third Meeting of the States Parties to the TPNW will achieve a great success toward the realization of a peaceful and just world without nuclear weapons.
