Mexican Official Concerned About Global ‘Banalization’ of Nuclear Threats; Urgency Raised About Nuclear Proliferation

By Hayato Kobayashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:56 JST, August 7, 2025

Enrique Ochoa, Mexico’s undersecretary for multilateral affairs and human rights, expressed concern that the threat of nuclear weapons is being underestimated globally in an online interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday.

Ochoa, who holds the stance of promoting nuclear abolition said that “there has been a kind of banalization of nuclear threats and their use,” as the focus on nuclear deterrence has increased. He raised urgency about nuclear proliferation, saying, “A world with more states possessing nuclear weapons … will be more dangerous.”

After noting that Mexico and other nations have led the negotiations for the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, he emphasized, “Since the nuclear attacks on Japan [in 1945], Mexico has been a very strong advocate of nuclear disarmament.”

Ochoa stated Mexico’s willingness to collaborate with Japan on nuclear disarmament, emphasizing that “we have a lot of common ground in terms of peace and security.”

He expressed gratitude for the activities of Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which received the Nobel Peace Prize last year, and said Mexico would further develop its achievements through diplomatic action.