Japan calls for global cooperation for nuclear disarmament towards 2026 UN conference

New York, April 29 (IANS) The Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi called on the world leaders for a "dialogue" and "cooperation" on nuclear disarmament towards an important United Nations conference in 2026.

He said this while delivering a statement on Monday (local time) at the General Debate of the Third Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), being held in New York.

"The cry that the tragedies of nuclear weapons must never be repeated and the call for achieving a 'world without nuclear weapons' are now louder than ever," Iwaya said.

According to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Iwaya introduced the recommendations of the International Group of Eminent Persons for a World without Nuclear Weapons, which Japan launched back in 2022 as an "eloquent example" of how engaging in sincere dialogue and constructive discussion can create wisdom, even in this increasingly divided world.

"He appealed to all countries to fulfil their responsibility to find a common ground, to maintain and strengthen the NPT architecture, which is the only universal framework for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and to advance toward the realisation of a world without nuclear weapons," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Last month, the government faced criticism from atomic bomb survivors for not attending as an observer in a convention of signatories to a UN nuclear weapons ban treaty held in New York.

Iwaya's participation in this conference is aimed at establishing the efforts of the Japanese government to work towards promotion of nuclear disarmament, according to Japanese media, Kyodo News.

The report said that the Japanese government has aspired for a world free of nuclear weapons, as Japan is the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks in war.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry further affirmed that in his speech, Iwaya also discussed Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

He further pointed towards the work of the Hibakusha, the surviving victims of the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"The Hibakusha have worked tirelessly, despite their deep emotional and psychological wounds and scars, to raise awareness of the devastation caused by nuclear weapons," the foreign minister said in the speech.

The foreign ministry added that in the statement, Iwaya mentioned the "difficulties" the NPT regime is facing in light of North Korea's nuclear and missile development program and the "rapid buildup of nuclear capabilities in an opaque manner," adding that such moves run counter to the progress of nuclear disarmament or threaten nuclear non-proliferation.

"We must protect and foster an international order based on the rule of law. What is needed now is an effort to ease the divisions in the international community, restore and strengthen the functioning of international cooperation frameworks based on multilateralism," said the foreign minister.

--IANS

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