Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Begins Conference of the Parties Can Momentum for Nuclear Disarmament Increase?

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which prohibits the development, possession and use of nuclear weapons, has begun at the United Nations Headquarters.
At the meeting on the first day, there was a series of opinions that discussions toward the abolition of nuclear weapons are necessary now that the global situation surrounding nuclear weapons is becoming increasingly severe, and the atomic bomb survivors from Japan expressed a strong sense of crisis that humanity could perish if nuclear weapons were not eliminated.

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons began at the United Nations Headquarters in New York shortly after midnight on the 2th Japan time.

In his introduction, Under-Secretary-General Nakamitsu, the head of the UN Disarmament Division, said, "We are witnessing the nuclear threat in the midst of several serious crises, and the means of the arms control system of the Cold War era are on the verge of collapse. In times like these, the appeal of the ban treaty is more important than ever," he said, emphasizing the significance of the treaty.

After this, representatives of various countries expressed the opinion that now that the global situation surrounding nuclear weapons is becoming increasingly severe, it is necessary to discuss the abolition of nuclear weapons in the future.

In addition, Kiichi Kido, secretary general of the Japan Hidankyo = Japan Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Victims' Association Council, who was exposed to the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, said, "The scene of Ukraine and Gaza is a repeat of that day for the atomic bomb survivors," and said that the current situation in the conflict area reminds us of the devastation of the atomic bombed area, and "It is the difference between the atomic bomb destroying humanity and the elimination of the atomic bomb and human survival." He expressed a strong sense of urgency.

Some of the member states of NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization under the nuclear umbrella of the United States are also participating as observers in the conference, but representatives of the Japan government are not participating.

The conference will be held over a five-day period, and a political declaration will be adopted on the last day, and it will be questioned whether it is possible to increase the momentum for nuclear disarmament even in a difficult international situation.

President of the Conference of the Parties: "Statement by A-bomb survivors: Powerful testimony"

In an exclusive interview with NHK on the 2th, Mexico's Mr. Delafente, who chairs the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, commented on the remarks of Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor Kiichi Kido, saying, "There is no substitute for the testimony of someone who has experienced something like Mr. Kido. It's a powerful testimony that is a step in the right direction."