Japan Press Weekly

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2017 November 29 - December 5 [PEACE]

Government’s international ‘sages’ panel on nuclear disarmament exchanges views with antinuke NGOs

The Japanese government’s international panel of “sages” on nuclear disarmament on November 28 in Hiroshima City held a meeting with activists of antinuke NGOs to exchange opinions.

The experts’ panel, consisting of six Japanese, including the chair, and ten from abroad, is tasked with making to the Japanese government recommendations regarding measures to achieve a nuclear-free world. The government will present the recommendations to the next year’s Preparatory Committee meeting for the 2020 NPT Review Conference.

The NGOs attending the exchange meeting included the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) as well as a local branch of each of Hidankyo, the Japan Council against A- and H- Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo), and the New Japan Women's Association (Shinfujin).

ICAN international steering group member Kawasaki Akira said, “The sages’ group recommendations should state that the use of nuclear weapons inevitably brings about inhuman consequences.”

Kawasaki also said that the panel’s proposals should urge nuclear weapons states not to hinder other countries from signing the UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons.

A “high school peace ambassador” spoke at the meeting. Peace ambassadors are appointed by a group of Japan’s anti-nuke peace NGOs to engage in activities such as visits to UN organizations and participation in signature collection campaigns.

The 17-year-old Hiroshima high school student talked about her grandfather’s experience in the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing. She said, “In order to bring the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty into effect as early as possible, the Japanese government should support the treaty.”