Hiroshima and Nagasaki Mayors Urge PM Takaichi to Join Nuclear Ban Treaty Meeting

The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Kazumi Matsui and Shiro Suzuki, met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on October 30. The mayors requested that Japan participate as an observer in the first Review Conference of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, scheduled to begin on November 30 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Mayor Suzuki reported that the Prime Minister maintained a cautious stance, stating that Japan must respond carefully to the treaty in light of the current security environment and the need for substantive progress in nuclear disarmament. The mayors also expressed concerns regarding ongoing armed conflicts involving nuclear-armed states, warning that disregard for the inhumanity of nuclear weapons could lead to a third Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

Following the meeting, Mayor Suzuki expressed disappointment that no new developments had occurred since their previous meeting in April. The mayors also sought to reaffirm the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, though the Prime Minister did not comment on the matter during the discussion.