In August 2022, the Executive Committee of Mayors for Peace dispatched a delegation consisting of Vice President Tomihisa Taue, Secretary-General Takashi Koizumi (President of this Foundation) and others to the 10th NPT Review Conference held in New York City.
The delegation requested government officials and others to adopt a consensus document to advance nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation measures and to respect the final document of the TPNW First Meeting of States Parties, and also sought understanding and cooperation for Mayors for Peace initiatives.
The Mayors for Peace A-bomb poster exhibition was also held, to create momentum for the realization of a peaceful world without nuclear weapons.
Thoughts on the Results of the 10th NPT Review Conference
Hiroshima Mayor
Kazumi Matsui
At this Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, in the process of developing the final document, there were discussions about clearly stating the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the facts related to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), as well as the adoption of a declaration of 'No First Use' of nuclear weapons and an international agreement on 'Negative Security Assurance'.
However, the conference ended without adopting a final document, in the same way as the previous conference.
The fact that the conference ended in such a way is not only contrary to the 'steady progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation measures' that Vice President Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki City, called for as a representative of Mayors for Peace, but also rejects the wish of the
hibakusha for the abolition of nuclear weapons, which is extremely regrettable.
In order to overcome this situation, it is necessary to foster a social environment to change the current situation where the pursuit of national interests inevitably takes precedence over respect for international frameworks.
To do so, efforts to spread throughout the global community the recognition expressed in the draft final document and in the joint statement issued during the session, namely, the recognition of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, have become more important than ever.
Based on this recognition, Mayors for Peace, together with the leaders of more than 8,200 member cities, will promote a culture of peace that rejects all forms of violence in order to protect the safety and security of citizens, and create an environment in which political leaders can pursue foreign policy through dialogue rather than relying on nuclear deterrence.
August 3 (Wed)
Meeting with former UN Under-Secretary-General Chowdhury
Meeting with former UN Under-Secretary-General Chowdhury (center)
In addition to the letter from President Matsui to former UN Under-Secretary-General Anwarul Chowdhury, who is a proponent of the Culture of Peace, and a request to him to give a commemorative speech at the General Conference of Mayors for Peace scheduled to be held in October, they exchanged views on the culture of peace.
August 4 (Thurs)
Meeting with the Executive Director of the Arms Control Association
Executive Director Daryl Kimball, expressed his view that the NPT Review Conference is being held under very difficult circumstances and that the outcome of the conference will be directly related to whether or not concrete commitments are made by nuclear weapon states.
He also expressed his respect and wholehearted support for the initiatives of Mayors for Peace.
They also exchanged views on the Youth Leader Fund for a world without nuclear weapons, which Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in his General Debate Speech on August 1, for the purpose of encouraging young people to visit the A-bombed cities and promote a culture of peace involving civil society.
Meeting with the Special Representative of the President of the United States for Nuclear Nonproliferation
Special Representative Adam Scheinman stated that nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament are important issues for the U.S. and that nuclear war must be avoided through the efforts of nuclear weapon states.
He also expressed his desire to continue open and transparent dialogue by creating an environment where nuclear risk reduction can be discussed.
Secretary-General Koizumi urged the U.S. government, which will play the most important role in the conference, to express its concrete actions toward nuclear abolition and to make efforts to adopt the final document.
Meeting with the Permanent Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament
Ambassador Ichiro Ogasawara said that he welcomed the fact that bringing the voices of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the conference venue would be a tailwind for the success of the conference.
However, he also expressed his view that while he recognizes the importance of the TPNW, the treaty has problems in that it does not provide specific steps to the end goal of nuclear weapons abolition, and that the involvement of nuclear weapon states is essential to abolish nuclear weapons, which is different from the approach to nuclear abolition that the Japanese government considers.
Secretary-General Koizumi asked for his understanding of the importance of promoting the TPNW and efforts to adopt a final document of this conference that will lead to nuclear disarmament in the future.
Meeting with the Director of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Director Orlaith Fitzmaurice commended the proactive efforts of the Mayors for Peace at the municipal level to promote the abolition of nuclear weapons as a very powerful force.
At this meeting, she said that effective benchmarks for nuclear disarmament must be created and restrictions on nuclear weapons must be put in place.
She also stated that the Irish government strives to consider how the TPNW can contribute to the implementation of the NPT and to clear up misunderstandings if any.
Secretary-General Koizumi paid tribute to the Irish government's efforts toward nuclear disarmament to date, and expressed his hope for the expansion of member cities in Ireland and future collaboration.
Meeting with hibakusha Ms. Thurlow
Ms. Setsuko Thurlow expressed her concern about the lack of media coverage of nuclear weapons in North America, and stressed the importance of close collaboration between citizenry, academia, and administration in promotion of nuclear disarmament.
Mayor Taue commented that the fact that the younger generation is taking up the baton of efforts toward nuclear abolition is providing us with hope.
In response, the participants discussed the importance of young people's continued efforts toward peace and the importance of visiting A-bombed cities and learning about the reality of the atomic bombings.
August 5 (Fri)
Meeting with UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva
Secretary-General Koizumi stressed that the only way to fulfill the wish of the hibakusha that 'no one else should suffer as we have' is to abolish nuclear weapons.
He asked for understanding of the subsidiarity between the TPNW and the NPT, and for efforts to adopt a final document at this conference.
Ambassador Aidan Liddle expressed his view that while he takes the wishes of the hibakusha to heart and shares their goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, the UK will not ratify the TPNW because it differs from the UK government's approach.
He also stated that in order to achieve a nuclear-free world, dialogue among nuclear weapon states must be promoted while maintaining information transparency.
Attendance at the opening ceremony of the Atomic Bomb Exhibition organized by the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations
The opening ceremony of the Atomic Bomb Exhibition, organized by the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, was held with remarks and a ribbon cutting by Sueichi Kido, Secretary-General of the Confederation, Gustavo Zlauvinen, President of the 10
th NPT Review Conference, Mayor Taue, and Secretary-General Koizumi.
The A-bomb exhibition, which ran for about a month, featured 48 panels and displayed A-bomb-related materials from the collections of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.
Meeting with the Permanent Representative and Ambassador of France to the Conference on Disarmament
Ambassador Yann Hwang expressed his view that, despite France's efforts toward nuclear disarmament, it will not be easy for the States Parties to come to an agreement for a final document at this conference, which will be held under the current complex security environment.
He said that it is necessary to confirm the contributions of all parties, especially Russia, to the NPT, and expressed his wish to visit Hiroshima to learn about the reality of the atomic bombing.
Secretary-General Koizumi said that he hopes the ambassador visits Hiroshima and called for understanding of the subsidiarity between the TPNW and the NPT and for efforts to adopt a final document at this conference.
Meeting with the President of the 10th NPT Review Conference
In response to Mayor Taue's question on what he expects from civil society in nuclear disarmament, Ambassador Zlauvinen stated that since the nuclear disarmament negotiations take place behind a wall, civil society cannot be involved in the process.
However, he hopes that civil society will surround the wall and unite to influence those behind the wall by using tools that can impact society, such as SNS.
He also expressed his desire to visit the A-bombed cities.
Secretary-General Koizumi conveyed the hibakusha's earnest wish for nuclear abolition, and called for an understanding of the mutual complementarity created by the fusion of the two approaches of the TPNW and the NPT, and for efforts to adopt a final document at this conference.
Speech at the NGO Session of the 10th NPT Review Conference
Mayor Taue, speaking on behalf of Mayors for Peace, pointed out that what prevented another Hiroshima and Nagasaki from happening for the past 77 years is the
hibakusha's long-standing call for the abolition of nuclear weapons―which has resonated throughout the world, raising awareness of their inhumanity.
He also claimed that once a nuclear-weapon state starts to act arrogantly and with brute force, these accumulated efforts will crumble in an instant.
He called for the NPT and TPNW to complement each other and to serve as two wheels for the international community to advance toward the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.
Mayor Taue also requested that the participants fulfill their obligation to negotiate in good faith on nuclear disarmament as stipulated in Article VI of the NPT and provide a concrete roadmap to ensure progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation measures.
He concluded his speech by sending the words "May Nagasaki be the last wartime atomic bombing site" to the participants and expressed the determination of Mayors for Peace, to continue striving for a world without nuclear weapons.
August 1 (Mon) ― 26 (Fri)
Exhibition of A-bomb posters held by Mayors for Peace Conference
At the site of the 10th NPT Review Conference, an A-bomb poster exhibition was held by Mayors for Peace to help conference participants deepen their understanding of the reality of the atomic bombing.
(Mayors for Peace Administration Division)
