Latest news with #TreatyontheProhibitionofNuclearWeapons
Scoop
a day ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Historic Multi-Movement Call To Action: World Must Choose Peace Over Profit, Democracy Over Destruction
As the world marks 80 years since the atomic bombings of Japan, the ITUC has joined forces with organisations for peace, climate and economic justice in a global call for a new model of common security. The joint, multi-movement declaration warns of a growing existential threat from a 'billionaire coup' that is undermining democracy, fuelling militarism and accelerating inequality. Governments must reorient global priorities from weapons and war to social justice and human development. ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle said: 'Democracy is being stolen by a handful of billionaires and far-right forces, while public money is being poured into weapons instead of healthcare, education or climate solutions. This historic joint statement is a wake-up call and a call to action. We need governments to act with urgent commitments to peace, justice and dignity for all. Working people demand a world built on democracy, sustainability and shared prosperity.' The ITUC and its allies call for: Universal ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and full-scale nuclear disarmament. Adoption of progressive and coordinated global tax reforms, including a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. Implementation of living wages and decent work for all, with strong labour rights and support for union organising and collective bargaining. Reduction in global military expenditures, to redirect funds towards public services, social protection and climate action. Creation of a United Nations Fair Conversion mechanism to support countries shifting from military-based economies to sustainable industries. Universal expansion of social protection systems, especially for marginalised groups such as women, migrant workers and those in informal work. Integration of disarmament and sustainability into national climate plans, ensuring military industries are part of emissions reduction strategies. The statement also stresses the need to democratise and reform multilateral institutions, such as the UN, to place peace, human rights and sustainable development at the centre of global governance. It calls on governments at the World Social Summit to adopt the New Social Contract to tackle the root causes of inequality and conflict, while the G20 summit should align economic policies with principles of peace and sustainability by reducing military spending and investing in climate resilience and human development. Key facts from the joint statement include: In 2024, the top 1 per cent owned more wealth than 95% of the global population combined. Global military spending reached $2.718 trillion in 2024, a 9.4% rise from the previous year. Low- and middle-income countries, many struggling with poverty, accounted for 35% of global military spending in 2022. Over 100 million people are currently displaced by conflict and persecution. Militaries collectively have the fourth largest carbon footprint in the world. Along with the ITUC, the statement is anchored by Greenpeace International, the International Peace Bureau (IPB), the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Oxfam and Additional signatories include:
Japan Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Split Japan antinuke groups, Hidankyo unite for 80th A-bomb anniversary
Terumi Tanaka (3rd from L), co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, Masashi Tani (2nd from L), secretary general of the Japan Congress Against A-and H-Bombs, and Masakazu Yasui (far R), secretary general of the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, pose for a photo at a joint press conference in Tokyo on July 23, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Two Japanese antinuclear groups that split during the Cold War issued a rare joint statement Wednesday to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, appealing for the people of Japan to carry the cities' message to the world. The statement by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, and the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, known as Gensuikyo, was also cosigned by Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. "I truly hope that this (collaboration) will become a turning point where Japan's movement can grow into a much larger one and expand to the world," Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said at a joint press conference held by the three groups in Tokyo. With the risk of nuclear weapons use rising globally, the three groups stressed that survivor testimonies remain one of the most powerful deterrents against the use of such weapons in war. Building on Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize recognition, the statement also urged the Japanese government to "break free" from the U.S. nuclear umbrella, and swiftly sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. "Despite atomic bomb survivors capturing the world's attention, the risk of nuclear weapon use continues to rise, making the role of Japan's antinuclear movement more critical than ever," the statement said, while criticizing the Japanese government's refusal to join the treaty as "eroding international trust." Japan's antinuclear movement began in 1954 following the Bikini Atoll incident, when a Japanese fishing boat was exposed to radiation from a U.S. nuclear weapon test. The first World Conference against A & H Bombs was held in Hiroshima in 1955. The movement later split in the 1960s over political differences, with Gensuikyo aligning with the Japanese Communist Party, which tolerated Soviet nuclear testing, and Gensuikin with the former Socialist Party and and trade unions, which opposed all nuclear testing regardless of country. While the world conference was held jointly from 1977 to 1985, Gensuikyo and Gensuikin have in recent years hosted separate events each summer in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. © KYODO
Kyodo News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Split Japan antinuke groups, Hidankyo unite for 80th A-bomb anniv.
TOKYO - Two Japanese antinuclear groups that split during the Cold War issued a rare joint statement Wednesday to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, appealing for the people of Japan to carry the cities' message to the world. The statement by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, and the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, known as Gensuikyo, was also cosigned by Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. "I truly hope that this (collaboration) will become a turning point where Japan's movement can grow into a much larger one and expand to the world," Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said at a joint press conference held by the three groups in Tokyo. With the risk of nuclear weapons use rising globally, the three groups stressed that survivor testimonies remain one of the most powerful deterrents against the use of such weapons in war. Building on Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize recognition, the statement also urged the Japanese government to "break free" from the U.S. nuclear umbrella, and swiftly sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. "Despite atomic bomb survivors capturing the world's attention, the risk of nuclear weapon use continues to rise, making the role of Japan's antinuclear movement more critical than ever," the statement said, while criticizing the Japanese government's refusal to join the treaty as "eroding international trust." Japan's antinuclear movement began in 1954 following the Bikini Atoll incident, when a Japanese fishing boat was exposed to radiation from a U.S. nuclear weapon test. The first World Conference against A & H Bombs was held in Hiroshima in 1955. The movement later split in the 1960s over political differences, with Gensuikyo aligning with the Japanese Communist Party, which tolerated Soviet nuclear testing, and Gensuikin with the former Socialist Party and and trade unions, which opposed all nuclear testing regardless of country. While the world conference was held jointly from 1977 to 1985, Gensuikyo and Gensuikin have in recent years hosted separate events each summer in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Mainichi
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Split Japan antinuke groups, Hidankyo unite for 80th A-bomb anniv.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Two Japanese antinuclear groups that split during the Cold War issued a rare joint statement Wednesday to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, appealing for the people of Japan to carry the cities' message to the world. The statement by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, and the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, known as Gensuikyo, was also cosigned by Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. "I truly hope that this (collaboration) will become a turning point where Japan's movement can grow into a much larger one and expand to the world," Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said at a joint press conference held by the three groups in Tokyo. With the risk of nuclear weapons use rising globally, the three groups stressed that survivor testimonies remain one of the most powerful deterrents against the use of such weapons in war. Building on Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize recognition, the statement also urged the Japanese government to "break free" from the U.S. nuclear umbrella, and swiftly sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. "Despite atomic bomb survivors capturing the world's attention, the risk of nuclear weapon use continues to rise, making the role of Japan's antinuclear movement more critical than ever," the statement said, while criticizing the Japanese government's refusal to join the treaty as "eroding international trust." Japan's antinuclear movement began in 1954 following the Bikini Atoll incident, when a Japanese fishing boat was exposed to radiation from a U.S. nuclear weapon test. The first World Conference against A & H Bombs was held in Hiroshima in 1955. The movement later split in the 1960s over political differences, with Gensuikyo aligning with the Japanese Communist Party, which tolerated Soviet nuclear testing, and Gensuikin with the former Socialist Party and and trade unions, which opposed all nuclear testing regardless of country. While the world conference was held jointly from 1977 to 1985, Gensuikyo and Gensuikin have in recent years hosted separate events each summer in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
JCP vows fairer taxes, stronger social safety net and a commitment to peaceful diplomacy
Sunday's Upper House vote will be an election of historic significance for the future of Japan. The Japanese Communist Party will do everything in its power to help voters drive the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito into a minority in the House of Councilors and bring an end to LDP rule. Like millions of voters, we call out the LDP-Komeito conservative coalition and call for equally harsh judgment of their complementary forces — Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People. As the oldest political party in Japan, we will resolutely fight against xenophobia and extreme right-wing trends. The LDP's politics are now in a terminal and critical state with the party unable to respond to domestic and international issues or the wishes of the people. Many people are suffering from rising prices, yet the LDP is completely ill-equipped. Its members offer only short-term repairs — not long-term solutions — to the surge in rice prices and rice shortages. Pensions, medical care, nursing care and social security — all are in a growing state of crisis and the ruling coalition is heading down a path that will only make things worse. Real wages have been negative for three consecutive years, yet no one is taking political responsibility to raise wages and provide relief for Japan's workers. At the root of all this is the distortion of politics that prioritizes the interests of the business world and large corporations. On the foreign-policy front, Japan's challenges are just as great. How should we deal with President Donald Trump's America? Should we continue down the path of military expansion as Washington tells us to? How should we respond to the Trump administration's unjust tariffs? Or being forced to construct a new U.S. military base in Okinawa and turn our backs on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons? Can we continue to be at the mercy of America? The JCP believes that if we want to realize the earnest wishes of the people, we need to reform the LDP's 'business-centered' politics and stop putting ourselves at the mercy of the person in the White House. The expansion of the JCP, which cuts into these two distortions, is a sure way to improve Japanese politics and our nation's standing in the world. Please help our party make a breakthrough in this historic election by voting for the JCP candidate in your area. Our basic policies have remained consistent throughout the years and always put the interests of the average Japanese worker first. As a party that has consistently advocated for the abolition of the consumption tax, the JCP will do its utmost to urgently reduce the consumption tax to 5% with the aim of abolishing it. The big problem is how to secure the funds for this. We propose ending the tax-cut handouts to large corporations, which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he regrets and has admitted are 'ineffective.' We will fund the abolishment of the consumption tax by correcting the tax cuts and preferential treatment for large corporations and the wealthy, including reviewing the preferential tax system for the wealthy commonly referred to as the '¥100-million wall' because tax burdens relative to income drop for earners of more than ¥100 million. In addition, we will promptly raise the minimum wage to ¥1,500 per hour, aiming for ¥1,700. To achieve this, we will impose a temporary tax on a portion of the internal reserves of large companies, which have accumulated to over ¥500 trillion, and use the resulting financial resources to support wage increases for small and medium-sized enterprises. In conjunction with wage increases, we will reduce working hours and increase 'free time,' while improving the treatment of nonregular workers and eliminating unjust termination of employment. On the agricultural front, we will change the erroneous policy of forcing rice farmers to reduce their acreage and production, and promote increased rice production, ensuring a comfortable supply and demand, as well as price guarantees and income compensation for farmers. The politics of pitting the elderly against the working generation and cutting social security have increased the hardships of all generations, dampened consumption, stirred up anxiety about the future and contributed greatly to economic stagnation. We will change this and work to improve social security. In terms of political reform, we will ban corporate and organizational donations and eliminate money-based corruption. For younger people, we will aim to make tuition free up to university. We will increase public education spending to the OECD minimum level and improve poor educational conditions. We will also correct excessive competition and management in education, while creating a rent-reduction and rent-subsidy system and promoting the construction and supply of public housing. On the foreign-policy front, we will reject the Trump administration's demand for a massive military expansion, stop the creation of a warring nation based on the Japan-U.S. alliance and devote our efforts to diplomacy to build peace in East Asia. To address the climate crisis, we will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%-80% by 2035, phase out nuclear and coal-fired power plants and promote a shift to renewable energy and energy conservation. Last but not least, we will promote gender equality, including optional separate surnames for married couples, the early realization of same-sex marriage and the correction of the wage gap between men and women. We will also continue to work to eradicate discrimination and hate speech against foreign nationals, protect the rights of foreign workers and promote the revision of immigration laws in accordance with international human-rights law. Tomoko Tamura is the chairwoman of the Japanese Communist Party. In the lead-up to the July 20 Upper House election, The Japan Times reached out to the nation's major political parties requesting an op-ed for our Opinion pages on why this election is so crucial and why their party deserves the citizens' vote. We are publishing all those who responded.
