Japan joined by 115 nations and regions in joint statement on nuclear weapons
Japan announced in New York on Thursday that 115 nations and regions have taken part in a joint statement calling for promoting education on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.Tomiko Ichikawa, Japan's disarmament ambassador, delivered the statement at a preparatory meeting for the 2026 review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) at the U.N. headquarters.Britain was the only nuclear power that took part in the joint statement.The statement, which has been presented at NPT review conferences by the only country to have been attacked with nuclear weapons in history, underscores the importance of passing on "invaluable testimonies" of the survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or hibakusha, to future generations.Noting that the testimonies have played "an indispensable role" in nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation education, it advises that each NPT signatory encourage visits to affected sites to meet with hibakusha.Through those efforts, the international community can "advance toward a world without nuclear weapons," the statement emphasized.During the committee session, non-aligned nations blamed nuclear powers for failing to observe their disarmament obligations under the treaty.Stagnant disarmament has created distrust between nuclear and non-nuclear states, Egypt said. Other non-nuclear signatories also expressed their frustration toward nuclear countries.
