Japan faces tight spot in talks on nuclear weapons pact
Japan's decision to take part in talks on the Nuclear Weapons Convention, a proposed pact that would outlaw nuclear arms, is partly designed to avoid a backlash from survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or hibakusha. During negotiations, however, the Japanese government hopes to reflect its opposition to the pact.
The talks will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 27 to 31. Japan plans to stress that there are problems with the convention's viability without the participation of nuclear powers. But if it merely voices opposition, then doubts will arise about Japan's enthusiasm for nuclear disarmament overall. Tokyo is therefore likely to find itself in a tight spot.
According to Japanese government sources, Japan's participation in convention negotiations was spurred by Foreign Minister and Hiroshima native Fumio Kishida.
At an October 2016 meeting of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which deals with disarmament and international security, Japan defied widespread predictions and voted against launching talks on the pact. This sparked a stream of criticism from hibakusha and others in Japan and abroad who suggested that the country, protected by the United States' "nuclear umbrella," was taking a negative stance toward nuclear disarmament. As a result, the government judged that it needed to participate in negotiations and stress its position within the scope of the talks.
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Japan says it will not take part in nuclear ban treaty talks without nuclear powers
NEW YORK -- Japanese Ambassador to the U.N. Conference on Disarmament Nobushige Takamizawa said on March 27 that Tokyo would not take part in negotiations on a treaty outlawing nuclear weapons because the world's nuclear weapons states would stay away from the talks.
Takamizawa said the participation and cooperation of nuclear powers in the negotiations is indispensable to achieve nuclear disarmament. "Regrettably, given the present circumstances, we must say that it would be difficult for Japan to participate in this conference in a constructive manner and in good faith," Takamizawa said during the opening segment of the conference at the United Nations in New York.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at a news conference in Tokyo on March 28, "It has become clear that the conference does not satisfy our assertions. After stating Japan's views, we decided not to take part in future negotiations."
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Nuke ban treaty talks unrealistic without nuke 'haves': minister
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, explaining Tokyo's decision not to take part in U.N. talks on a treaty outlawing nuclear weapons, said Tuesday that such talks are unrealistic without the participation of major nuclear weapon states amid the growing nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
The decision by the government triggered criticism and disappointment from the survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who saw the first-ever U.N. talks on the treaty to abolish nuclear weapons as a step toward pursuing a nuclear-weapon-free world.
The negotiations that began in New York overnight "not only do not realistically help create a world without nuclear weapons but could also further deepen the rift between nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon states and cause an adverse effect," Kishida told reporters.
Japan, the world's only country attacked with nuclear bombs, has said it aspires to a world free of nuclear weapons, but had been vague about whether it would join the U.N. talks, reflecting its reliance on the U.S. nuclear deterrent for protection. During Monday's conference, a Japanese envoy announced Tokyo's stance on the treaty negotiations.
