Taro Kono, a lawmaker from the Liberal Democratic Party, spoke on nuclear disarmament Saturday at an antinuclear gathering here, the first LDP lawmaker ever invited to deliver an address at the event.
"Would you please raise your hand if you believe nuclear weapons can be eliminated?" Kono asked a gathering organized by the Japan Congress Against A and H Bombs (Gensuikin).
Kono, 37, the son of Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, calls himself the only LDP member who has spoken out against nuclear power plants.
After about half of the 300 people in the audience raised their hands, Kono said he thought a realistic target would be to urge the world to reduce the number of nuclear warheads to 1,000 for the time being.