Japan Press Weekly

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2015 April 1 - 7 [PEACE]

More efforts needed to increase antinuke public movements before 2015 NPT RevCon

The 2015 NPT Review Conference will start on April 27 at the UN Headquarters in NYC. The NPT, consisting of 190 member states, calls for nuclear disarmament in addition to nuclear nonproliferation. Its Review Conference is an important stage for global anti-nuclear movements. From Japan, more than 1,000 people will go to participate in various peace actions in the U.S.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month shocked the world with his remark that he considered putting nuclear weapons on high alert during last year’s conflict over the Crimean Peninsula.

Nuclear-weapon states maintain nuclear arsenals “for the security” of their own countries. Putin’s remark once again showed how dangerous such a nuclear “deterrent” policy is. It is a pressing challenge for the world to eliminate all nuclear weapons in order to stop NWS from threatening to push the red button.

The Review Conference, since its Preparatory Committee meetings, has been resisting moves by NWS to allow exceptions. Nevertheless, the situation does not allow any optimism at present.

In the previous Review Conference held five years ago, all State Parties agreed to achieve “a world free of nuclear weapons” and affirmed “the need to make special efforts to establish necessary framework to achieve” this end (Final Document). Subsequently, a Nuclear Weapons Convention emerged as an agenda in international politics. The growing international call for the start of negotiations by NWC is an important advance.

The UN General Assembly advocates a resolution proposed by Malaysia for launching NWC negotiations. Since 2013, the UNGA has had a nonaligned nations-presented resolution with support from two thirds of its member states calling for talks on a treaty comprehensively banning nuclear weapons. The New Agenda Coalition, with some European countries participating, urges action to set a clear timetable and objective for getting rid of nuclear weapons.

However, Japan’s government disagrees with the NWC and sides with the NWS opposition. Furthermore Japan accepts the use of nuclear weapons for self-defense under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, which is totally unacceptable for the only A-bombed nation in the world.

In contrast, the signature-collection drive called “Appeal for a Total Ban on Nuclear Weapons” has been gaining more momentum than ever before in Japan. Many Japanese people want Japan to undertake a role appropriate to be the country which experienced the A-bomb tragedies. The current government of Japan led by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo acts in total disregard of public opinion.

With the 2015 NPT Review Conference approaching, efforts to increase public opinion and further develop movements for the abolition of nuclear weapons are now more necessary than ever before.

Past related articles:
> Existence of nuclear weapons does not lessen risk of war [March 18, 2015]
> Shii reports on his visit to the US [May 22, 2010]
> Shii: A-bombed Japan must clearly support progress in NPT Review Conference [May 19, 2010]