Japan won’t join UN meeting on nuclear weapons ban, citing support for US deterrence

Tokyo, Mar 3: Japan will not attend a UN conference on the treaty banning nuclear weapons, a top government official in Tokyo said Monday, noting US nuclear deterrence is crucial to the country’s security and that its participation would send the “wrong message”.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Japan’s national security is the primary reason it will not participate as an observer at the conference, which starts Monday in New York.

“Under the severe security environment, nuclear deterrence is indispensable to defend the people’s lives and assets, as well as Japan’s sovereignty and peace,” Hayashi told reporters.

Japan’s participation as an observer at the conference would “send a wrong message about the Japanese policy (supporting) nuclear deterrence and interfere with our effort in security, peace and safety”.

The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was approved in 2017 and went into force in 2021 following a decades-long campaign aimed at preventing a repeat of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

Japan, despite being the only victim of the nuclear attacks, has refused to sign the treaty, saying its goal is not feasible without the participation of any of the nuclear weapons states.

Hayashi said participating as an observer would also interfere with Japan’s ongoing effort to gain support for strengthening the non-proliferation treaty and hinder nuclear disarmament.

He did not give further details about Japan’s next steps.

Japanese officials have said they share the ultimate goal of achieving a nuclear-free world but that Japan needs to be realistic amid growing global conflicts. Atomic bombing survivors and their supporters have criticized Japan’s government for making a hollow promise while clinging to the US nuclear umbrella.

The survivors and their supporters have urged the Japanese government to participate in the conference as an observer amid growing global attention after Nihon Hidankyo, the atomic bombing survivors’ grassroots organisation, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is a defence expert and vocal supporter of nuclear deterrence who has called for a more open debate about the role of US extended deterrence in the region.

Japan has also expressed more openly its desire to ensure “extended deterrence” by US nuclear weapons in recent years amid growing tensions with China. (AP)

Hot this week

Meghalaya man missing in Bangkok

Shillong, Jan 10: A 57-year-old Meghalaya resident, Mr. Treactchell...

Pay hike of Assam ministers, MLAs likely as 3-member panel submits report

Full report likely by Oct 30 Guwahati Sept 25: There...

ANSAM rejects Kuki’s separate administration demand, says bifurcation not acceptable

Guwahati, Sept 8: Rejecting the separate administration demand of...

Meghalaya Biological Park Inaugurated After 25 Years: A New Chapter in Conservation and Education

Shillong, Nov 28: Though it took nearly 25 years...

Meghalaya’s historic fiber paves the way for eco-friendly products and sustainable livelihoods

By Roopak Goswami Shillong, Oct 25: From making earbuds to...

Jowai and Shillong students jointly share top honours in state SSLC exams

Tura, April 5: The results of the much-anticipated Secondary...

POEM-4 re-enters Earth’s atmosphere: ISRO

Bengaluru, Apr 5: ISRO on Friday said the fourth...

HC upholds repeal of varsity Act

Shillong, Apr 5: The Meghalaya High Court on Friday...

Over 13,000 ST students get post matric scholarships

Shillong, Apr 5: Over 13,000 Schedule Tribe (ST) students...

Approach life as a ‘marathon’, Conrad tells IIM graduates

Shillong, Apr 5: Chief minister Conrad K Sangma has...

More villages to be adopted as ‘textile hubs’: Paul

Shillong, Apr 5: The state government has taken an...

LSG beat MI by 12 runs: Pandya’s maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket goes in vain

Lucknow, Apr 4: Hardik Pandya's maiden five-wicket haul in...

7 dead as tractor falls into deep well

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Apr 4: Seven women farm labourers, two...
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_imgspot_img