GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES | April 2010 | North America Edition

NUCLEAR ABOLITIONRedefine Japan­U.S. Alliance for Global DenuclearizationBy Masayoshi Hamada*Japan is serving in the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in April, ahead of theReview Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non‐Proliferation of Nuclear Weaponsscheduled for May 2010.Amidst growing momentum toward a world free of nuclear weapons I believe Japan has themoral responsibility to spread word about the harrowing effect of nuclear weapons as the onlysufferer of nuclear attacks, and exercise leadership in finding a fundamental solution to theissue of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, which has undermined the global trendtoward nuclear disarmament.As the world's only sufferer of nuclear attacks, Japan must tell the rest of the world about theagonizing and harrowing effect of nuclear attacks, incomparable to any other form of weaponry,the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons, and the need to establish an international codeof morality that nuclear weapons are nothing but absolute evil, so as to ensure human security.CODE OF MORALITYNuclear disarmament cannot be achieved by merely wiping away all existing nuclear weapons,because the human race has already acquired the knowledge to produce them. In order toachieve "irreversible" nuclear disarmament, it is essential to establish an international code of morality on the inhumane nature ofnuclear weapons, substantiated by the notion that they are an absolute evil.Is it possible to establish an international sense of morality that would even convince fundamentalist terrorism organizations to stayaway from developing nuclear arms? The only possible answer would be to make people "feel with their heart", rather than "understandin their head", the harrowing truth about nuclear weapons. Achieving this is our nation's moral responsibility as the sole suffererof atomic bombings. Such a campaign can be carried out through the process of advocating and expanding the signatories to the NuclearWeapons Convention.Some diplomats may question the effectiveness of having countries that have no nuclear weapons, rather than nuclear powers, signthe Nuclear Weapons Convention. Yet the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention (revised version), submitted to the United Nations byCosta Rica in 2007, defines not only state responsibilities, but those of individual persons, regardless of nationality.It should be noted that the signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (Oslo Process), which the New Komeito Party lobbiedthe Japanese government to sign, may have just 10 of all cluster munitions around the world, but that the Convention has effectivelydenied some countries the possibility of acquiring cluster munitions in the future.What's more, the establishment of the "international code" has provided a major driving force for initiating debates on the inclusionof cluster munitions ban in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which would cover countries that have notsigned the cluster munitions convention, such as the United States, China, Russia and India.Of equal importance is the mechanism for preventing countries from becoming isolated.Campaigns for nuclear disarmament must be accompanied with economic assistance, cultural exchange and other measures toeliminate propagators of negativity, such as poverty and discrimination, so as to achieve human security.NORTH KOREAThe international community has expressed concerns that North Korea and Iran may dampen the global trend for a nuclear weaponsfreeworld. Yet, many western nations tend to place priority on dealing with Iran. As a fellow nation in East Asia, Japan should exerciseleadership in addressing the issue of nuclear weapons development in North Korea.Why does North Korea pursue nuclear arms development? That is because it sees the U.S. nuclear capacity, which has been presentfor the last 50 years, as a major threat. Even after the removal of nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991, the U.S. military hascontinued to carry out drills involving long‐range missiles, designed to target North Korea.In the Six‐Party Talks joint statement issued in September 2005, the United States affirmed that it has no intention to attack or invadethe DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons. Yet, the CONPLAN 8022 contingency plan, drawn up in 2003 under the Bushadministration, refers to pre‐emptive use of nuclear weapons on Iran as well as North Korea. It should be noted that the plan has notbeen cancelled, even after 2005.Even in Japan, people arguing against nuclear disarmament cite the "nuclear deterrent" as an option for countering the threat of nuclearattacks from North Korea. However, what we must aim for is to convince North Korea to withdraw the weapons programme,thus keep it as a nuclear‐free state, rather than driving it to become a nuclear power, then trying to convince it not to use the capability.Even if North Korea does not succeed in developing nuclear arms, continuation of the nuclear program will maintain concerns overthe proliferation of weapons technology. In order to achieve global nuclear disarmament, it is essential to achieve the cancellation oftheir nuclear program at an early stage.* Masayoshi Hamada is a member of the House of Councillors, Chairman of New Komeito Party's Denuclearization PromotionCommittee, and a member of the Peace Studies Association of Japan.18 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES | APRIL 2010