Japan Press Weekly

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2021 December 15 - 21 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Over 50 Nobel laureates call for 2% cut in world’s military spending

Japanese Nobel-prize-winning physicists, Amano Hiroshi and Kajita Takaaki, and over 50 Nobel laureates in unity sent the world’s governments a letter demanding that their military spending be cut by 2% annually and that the money saved be allocated to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and extreme poverty.

This action was called for by Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli as part of a movement named, “Global Peace Dividend”.

The letter points out that global military spending has doubled since 2000, reaching two trillion dollars (about 225 trillion yen) a year. It states, “Individual governments are under pressure to increase military spending because others do so. The feedback mechanism sustains a spiraling arms race – a colossal waste of resources that could be used far more wisely (for the public good).”

The letter calls on UN member states to negotiate for a joint reduction of their defense expenditures. It claims that if they reach an agreement, it will help save one trillion dollars by 2030, and proposes that half of this money be distributed to a UN fund for addressing common crises that the international community is experiencing. The letter states, “Humankind faces risks that can only be averted through cooperation.”