Latest news with #YamazakiKazuyuki
NHK
21-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
UN members trade accusations at meeting on human rights situation in N.Korea
Members of the UN General Assembly have traded barbs at a meeting on the human rights situation in North Korea. Some nations contend that the North's human rights violations are closely tied to the country's development of nuclear weapons and its missile programs. At the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, a plenary meeting was held to address human rights abuses and violations in North Korea. Two female defectors from the country were called as witnesses. They took to the podium at the beginning of the meeting and shared their experiences. One woman said that it is better to be shot crossing the Tumen River than to starve in the North. The other defector said that young people have been executed in the country for secretly watching South Korean dramas. The two women suggested that silence is complicity, and they urged the member states to take action. The United States was among the members that criticized the North. It said that unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in North Korea are "inextricably linked to the regime's human rights abuses." It added that the North's actions threaten global peace and security. Japanese UN Ambassador Yamazaki Kazuyuki said, "Japan strongly urges Pyongyang to immediately return all abductees and asks for the international community to unite in a concerted effort to secure their return." North Korea's UN Ambassador Kim Song described the two defectors as "the scum of the earth." He claimed that they do not care about their parents and their families. Kim also said it was "deplorable" that they had been invited to serve as witnesses. A representative from Russia expressed opposition to the UN Security Council's sanctions. The representative described the measures as obstacles to the development of North Korea and the protection of human rights. Russia has been deepening its ties to North Korea.
NHK
08-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
UN Security Council members concerned about N.Korea-Russia military ties
United Nations Security Council members have expressed concern over the growing military ties between Russia and North Korea. A meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss the North's nuclear and missile programs. The UN panel of experts tasked with monitoring sanctions against North Korea ceased operations on April 30 last year. The panel's mandate was not renewed as Russia vetoed a resolution to extend it. South Korea's UN Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook said North Korea has "brazenly accelerated" its nuclear and missile programs in the absence of the panel. Japan's Ambassador Yamazaki Kazuyuki condemned the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea against Ukraine, saying it constitutes a clear violation of international law. He said the advancement of the North's nuclear and missile activities is an imminent threat to the entire globe. North Korea's UN Ambassador Kim Song said nations should "get accustomed to the new reality" of his country's cooperative relations with Russia. Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow and Pyongyang are developing their relationship in all areas. The acting US representative to the UN, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, noted that North Korea is using funds from its exports of coal and iron ore to China to develop weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. In response, Chinese UN ambassador Fu Cong said he hoped the US representative will "get their facts straight" before speaking.
NHK
05-05-2025
- General
- NHK
Trees grown from seeds that survived atomic bombing planted at UN headquarters
Two saplings grown from seeds that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima have been planted at the United Nations headquarters in New York, in the hope of realizing a world without nuclear weapons. The seeds were taken from a persimmon tree that was exposed to the intense blast and radiation around 500 meters from the hypocenter in the Japanese city. A tree-planting ceremony was held on Monday and was attended by the President of the UN General Assembly, Japan's UN Ambassador Yamazaki Kazuyuki and the chair of the preparatory committee for next year's review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Addressing the ceremony, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi said the trees are a symbol of peace and resilience. Noting this year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Nakamitsu called on people not just to remember all the horrible events, but to turn this into "an important occasion to build momentum to reverse the current, rather unfortunate trend of arms building and tensions rising." The persimmon tree was reportedly picked from among various trees that endured the atomic bombing, in consideration of the climate and soil of New York. Shimazu Junko, a member of Green Legacy Hiroshima, said she heard from a hibakusha, or an atomic-bomb survivor, that sprouting greenery provided survivors high hopes at a time when it was widely believed that no plants could grow in Hiroshima for as many as 70 years. She went on to say that she wants people to feel the hope the survivors felt to see greenery in the ruins, and to guide them toward peace.
