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Japan FM urges US not to use nuclear weapons first

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-19 11:48

TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on Sunday called on the United States to make a pledge not to use nuclear weapons first, local media reported Monday.

Okada made the remarks in a speech in Kyodo Sunday afternoon when the International Commission on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) opened the fourth session in Hiroshima, the first city struck by an atomic bomb in 1945.

Criticizing the Japanese government's inconsistent stance on the issue, Okada said: "It is very debatable whether there is a discrepancy for (the Japanese government) to argue strongly, on the one hand, for the elimination of nuclear weapons while also saying to please use nuclear weapons as a first strike for Japan."

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"It will be difficult to deny the general direction that is moving toward no-first use of nuclear weapons," he added.

Among the nuclear nations in the world, China is the only one that has declared no-first use of nuclear weapons.

A total of 25 commission members were present at the Hiroshima meeting of the commission, which is expected to unveil the final report in early January on a roadmap to the ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.

The commission, established at the initiative of Australia and Japan, held its first meeting in Sydney in October 2008.