Nuclear disarmament on Kishida’s mind for Hiroshima G7 summit next year
15:44 JST, August 28, 2022
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has condemned Russia for blocking the adoption of the final document draft at the monthlong Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference at the United Nations, but has also stressed that all participating nations except Russia showed a certain degree of solidarity.
“Russia was the only country that blocked the adoption. This proved that many countries share the recognition that maintaining and strengthening the NPT serves the interests of the international community as a whole,” Kishida said Saturday, speaking virtually to reporters from his official residence in Tokyo as he recovers from being infected with the novel coronavirus.
“The blame for the failure to reach a consensus should be placed on Russia, not on how the NPT itself works,” Kishida said.
Kishida represents a constituency in Hiroshima, which was the first place to experience the horror of nuclear weapons when the United States dropped an atomic bomb over the city on Aug. 6, 1945, during World War II. Kishida has thus made nuclear disarmament his lifework.
On Aug. 1, Kishida became the first prime minister of Japan to attend the NPT review conference. In his speech on that first day of the conference, the prime minister announced the Hiroshima Action Plan to realize a nuclear-free world, calling for enhancing the transparency of nuclear forces.
As Russia has become increasingly isolated due to its invasion of Ukraine, it was always going to be difficult to extract concessions from Moscow. Under such circumstances, some within the Japanese government also saw the adoption of the draft final document as a rather high hurdle, according to a senior Foreign Ministry official.
As Japan holds the rotating presidency of the G7 next year, the summit is scheduled to be held in May in Hiroshima. The city will also host an international gathering in November with leaders from nuclear powers and non-nuclear states scheduled to attend. At this gathering, Kishida hopes to heighten momentum for nuclear disarmament in the international community in preparation for the G7 summit.
“We will persistently and steadily advance feasible initiatives step by step,” Kishida said. “As the only country to have experienced the horror of nuclear devastation in war, our nation has a historic sense of duty.”
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Promotes Revised NISA Investment Program to Young People; Kishida Focusing on Moving Money From Savings to Investment in a Safe Environment
-
Japan, U.S. to Join Forces on AI, Semiconductors; Seek to Counter China’s ‘Military-Civil Fusion’
-
Japan, U.S. to Work Together for Expanding Marine Product Supply Chains; Countering China’s Economic Coercion
-
84% of People Nationwide Say They Feel Japan’s National Security Is Under Threat
-
“High Probability” 2 MSDF Patrol Helicopters Collided near Torishima Island; 1 Dead, 7 Others Onboard Missing (Update 2)
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’