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2010 May 26 - June 1 [POLITICS]

Gensuikyo Secretary-General Taka on the NPT Review Conference

1. The 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons closed on May 28 after four-week of discussions. In light of the breakdown of the 2005 review conference and a series of issues that came up concerning nuclear weapons, including the 2003 Iraq war by the United States and Britain, North Korea’s two nuclear tests, and Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons development, the review conference at this time was requested to agree on a concrete process for the elimination of nuclear weapons and to take steps toward achieving this.

2. In the final document, there is the intention expressed to seek “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons”, to reaffirm the “unequivocal undertaking” by the nuclear-weapon States to eliminate their nuclear weapons, and to convene a conference in 2012 on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

The final document also stipulates that the elimination of nuclear weapons “should be pursued within an agreed legal framework, which a majority of States parties believe should include specified timelines.” This shows that, backed by the world anti-nuclear peace movements and international public opinion, forces demanding a total ban on nuclear weapons and calling for the start of negotiations for this purpose have helped to inflence the majority opinion in the conference.

3. The United States which had announced its goal of “a world without nuclear weapons” and other nuclear-weapon states were expected to take the leadership role in the conference. However, during the final stage of the conference, the U.S., Britain, Russia and France opposed all concrete measures regarding a legal framework leading to prohibiting nuclear weapons and schedules of an international conference to achieve this. The four countries also opposed items prohibiting the development and improvement of their own nuclear weapons. These moves have raised the question about their qualification to call on other countries to abide by “non-proliferation” agreements and have again proved that their sense of privilege and adherence to nuclear deterrence are a major obstacle to the elimination of nuclear weapons.

4. The Japanese government did not display any initiative as the government of the only A-bombed country and did not play any role in urging nuclear-weapon states to take concrete actions to eliminate their arsenals. Before the conference opened, we requested the government to take the initiative in proposing a start of negotiations for a ban on nuclear weapons and to break away from the reliance on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella.” The whole process of the review conference has again shown how its dependence on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” weakens the Japanese government’s scope of possible diplomatic actions in relation to the elimination of nuclear weapons.

5. In preparation for this NPT Review Conference, the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs cooperated with organizations at home and abroad in collecting signatures for a start of negotiations for a treaty to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons, and initiated the “International Day of Action for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World” in New York City, thus making every effort to raise public opinion and develop joint actions. The number of signatures which were submitted to the NPT Review Conference reached 6,912,802, including those of 1,522 governors, mayors, deputy mayors, and chairs and vice-chairs of local assemblies. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said, “We will rid the world of nuclear weapons. And when we do, it will be because of people like you.” Our uncompromising actions have encouraged many governments and NGOs working for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

Convinced of the global spread of efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons, placing the focus on the NPT Review Conference for the elimination of nuclear weapons, we will increase our movement further to achieve a total ban on nuclear weapons.
- Akahata, May 31, 2010