Participants Reject Nuke Threats at Nuke Ban Treaty Meeting

New York, March 7 (Jiji Press)--The third meeting of signatories to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons ended its five-day session at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Friday, with participants adopting a declaration rejecting threats of using nuclear weapons.

The declaration also congratulated the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, for winning the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

It mentioned the existential threat that such weapons pose to humanity, at a time when the global situation surrounding nuclear weapons is growing increasingly dire, with Russia threatening to use nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine and France considering extending its nuclear umbrella to cover its European allies.

Speaking to reporters after the session, Masako Wada, 81, a Nihon Hidankyo assistant secretary-general, said that she was surprised to hear French President Emmanuel Macron propose expanding his country's nuclear umbrella. Amid headwinds against nuclear disarmament, Wada said, "We'll continue to be focused on using our words."

"We need to continue to spread (our stories) globally," said Jiro Hamasumi, 79, another Nihon Hidankyo assistant secretary-general. "It is clear from hibakusha experiences that we must never use nuclear weapons," he said, urging Japan, which did not participate in the latest meeting as an observer, to attend the next such meeting.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]