Mine Ban Convention: 6 Countries Urged to Reconsider Withdrawal Decision

Editorial

16:51 JST, July 19, 2025

Six European countries including Ukraine, which is currently subject to aggression from Russia, have decided to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. The direness of their situation is understood, but the setback in the momentum for landmine abolition is deeply concerning.

In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a presidential decree to pull his country out of the convention. This spring, the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Poland and Finland, decided to leave the convention.

The convention prohibits the use, stockpiling and production of anti-personnel mines, among other acts. It entered into force in 1999, and about 160 countries and regions, including Japan, have signed it.

The six countries that have decided to withdraw share borders with Russia. On the other hand, Russia is not a signatory to the convention and has buried numerous mines in areas of Ukraine it occupies.

It appears the six countries harbored growing concerns that the convention restricted their right to self-defense and thus concluded that landmines are necessary as a means of strengthening their deterrence capabilities.

The fundamental cause behind the chain of withdrawals is Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, in which it is blatantly disregarding international law and laying mines to prevent counterattacks.

Landmines are inhumane weapons that will continue to cause harm for decades even after fighting ends. As mines are often left in areas close to where people live their daily lives, such as farmlands and grasslands, casualties from them are far more numerous among civilians than combatants.

In countries such as Myanmar, Syria and Afghanistan, tragic incidents continue unabated in which residents, including children, lose their lives or limbs after unknowingly stepping on landmines used in civil wars and other conflicts. Currently, more than 5,000 people are killed or injured a year due to mines.

One cannot help but feel sympathy for the six European countries, as they are currently facing a military threat from Russia, but it is hoped that they will reconsider their decision to withdraw, taking into account the significance of the convention and the negative impacts the withdrawal will have in the future.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the cornerstone of security in Europe, needs to deepen discussions on measures to ensure the safety of each of its member countries without relying on landmines.

Japan has been a party to the convention since it took effect. The nation has extended cooperation in landmine clearance to Cambodia and elsewhere, and it has also provided Ukraine with equipment to detect and neutralize landmines. Such efforts are highly regarded.

With an eye on a possible future ceasefire in Ukraine, Japan has also been urged to strengthen its efforts to train mine clearance technicians and support people injured by mines.

Japan is set to chair a meeting of the convention’s states parties this year. It must reaffirm the accumulated efforts of the international community toward achieving a mine-free world and exercise leadership in shaping international public opinion that Russia’s inhumane behavior will never be tolerated.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 19, 2025)