Japan on Friday called for the return of language referring to possible visits by leaders to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the outcome document of the U.N. review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty after it was removed from a draft paper at China's insistence.

At a meeting of the committee on disarmament, one of the three panels at the conference, around 10 countries, including the Philippines, Australia, Chile, the Czech Republic and Nigeria, expressed support for the proposal.

Toshio Sano, a Geneva-based ambassador for disarmament, said at the meeting that the invitation is "one of the most effective ways" to increase awareness about the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and is supported by other delegations.