Japan Press Weekly

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2024 July 10 - 16 [JCP]

Shii sends telegram of condolence over death of ex-UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Shii Kazuo on July 9 sent a telegram of condolence over the death of UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte.

Shii stated that he is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Duarte, offering his condolences to the bereaved family and the Brazilian government.

Shii commented, “Duarte spent many years as a diplomat working on international disarmament issues, including the elimination of nuclear weapons. He also played a leading role in global efforts to promote nuclear disarmament, while strengthening cooperation with civil society as well as with Hibakusha in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Shii added, “I will never forget his energetic participation in international conferences and other events for disarmament even after he retired as UN high representative.”

Shii recalled, “Since our first meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York during the 2010 NPT Review Conference, I have had many opportunities to exchange views with Duarte and have always been encouraged by his passion for achieving a ‘world without nuclear weapons,’ his deep knowledge of international politics, and his warm personality and sense of humor.” Shii said it was a great pleasure for him to see firsthand the adoption of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the UN Headquarters in July 2017. Shii wrote that he remembers Duarte and he having in-depth discussions at Duarte’s apartment in NYC and Duarte saying, “The trend of the times is to abolish nuclear weapons.”

Expressing his respect and gratitude for Duarte’s achievements, Shii expressed his determination, as a politician of the only atomic-bombed country in the world, to do his utmost to realize a “world without nuclear weapons.”