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Japan Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Hidankyo member calls for nuclear weapons to be eliminated
A representative of hibakusha atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo on Wednesday called for the elimination of nuclear weapons at the ongoing preparatory meeting for the 2026 Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in New York. "Our urgent wish is to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons in our lifetime," said Hiroshi Kanamoto, 80, of Nihon Hidankyo, officially called the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. Kanamoto experienced the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, with his sister when he was 9 months old at a point 2.5 kilometers from the center of the explosion. He has been told that he was buried in rubble and covered in his own blood, and that his father came to rescue him. The bombing "instantly transformed Hiroshima into a city of death," he said. Under the NPT, the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China are obliged to hold negotiations for nuclear disarmament. But the previous two NPT review conferences ended in failure. "Will the NPT, which entered into force half a century ago in 1970, continue discussions indefinitely without any progress?" he questioned. "As the only country to have experienced the atomic bombings in war, we call upon Japan to lead the world toward the abolition of nuclear weapons." Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki also spoke at the preparatory meeting. "There is a growing trend among nuclear weapon states and even some nonnuclear weapon states to advocate for the possession of nuclear weapons or participation in nuclear sharing as an effective means of national defense," Matsui said. "But that goes against the principle of the NPT." Suzuki said, "Nagasaki must remain the last war-time atomic bombing site."
Japan Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Golden Week proves to be busy for traveling members of Ishiba's Cabinet
Many members of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet, including the prime minister himself, will be out of the country during the Golden Week holiday period. Ishiba plus 14 Cabinet ministers have scheduled overseas trips during the holiday period between late April and early May. The prime minister will visit Vietnam and the Philippines during a four-day trip until Wednesday. Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who is leading the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations on the Japanese side, will fly to Washington for a three-day visit until Friday. There, Akazawa is set to take part in the second round of discussions on U.S. tariffs on Japanese products, with all eyes on whether the two sides can make progress in such talks. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will have a packed schedule, visiting the Vatican for Pope Francis' funeral, the United States, Senegal, Saudi Arabia and France during his 10-day trip through May 4. After attending the funeral, Iwaya is set to participate in the third Preparatory Committee session for the 2026 Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in New York. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki will visit Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, while education minister Toshiko Abe will travel to Ghana and Egypt. With the rising cost of living hitting the Japanese people hard, opposition parties have questioned the need for Cabinet members' overseas trips. Steering committees of both chambers of parliament held board meetings on Friday to discuss such visits. Although the trips were approved by the steering committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at the meeting of the steering committee of the House of Councillors refused to approve a part of Iwaya's scheduled trip and opposed the planned visits of the justice and education ministers. The visits are "nonessential tours," a CDP lawmaker said. "(Cabinet members) should prioritize their duties that are in front of them, considering the tough (environment) the people face." Members of the Women's Affairs Division of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party faced public backlash for their visit to France in July 2023, after they took a commemorative photo with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Higher prices and U.S. tariffs are straining household finances. Given the current climate, a mid-ranking LDP official whose Upper House seat will be contested in this summer's election said that the public impression of this year's string of Golden Week overseas trips "is especially bad."
Egypt Independent
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Assistant FM Holds Consultations With Estonian Envoy For Multilateralism, Mediation
Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Amr Aljowaily on Wednesday 29/1/2025 held a session of consultations with Estonian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for multilateralism and mediation Tiina Intelmann,in presence of Estonian Ambassador in Cairo Ingrid Amer. The two sides exchanged views on a host of multilateral international issues of mutual interest; the most important negotiating and consultative tracks scheduled to be held in 2025, topped by issues related to international peace and security. They discussed the 2025 comprehensive review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, the ministerial conference on peacekeeping operations, negotiations on reforming and expanding the UN Security Council, and preparations for the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In statements, the assistant foreign minister said that the consultations focused on several emerging topics on the agenda for international relations, including cybersecurity and digital issues. He added that they had talks on the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)'s implementation and the follow-up and implementation of the Global Digital Compact. They also reviewed preparations for the final report of the UN Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the security of and in the use of information and communications technologies.
