Japan will reintroduce during the current session of the United Nations General Assembly a resolution calling for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, Japan's ambassador on disarmament issues said Wednesday.
Seiichiro Noboru told a U.N. committee meeting: "Japan is considering introducing again this year its resolution titled 'A path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.' We look forward to its adoption with the support of an overwhelming majority."
Japan last year proposed the resolution with the hope of promoting an "unequivocal undertaking" by the nuclear powers to eliminate their arsenals as agreed at a May 2000 review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The legally nonbinding resolution, which received a majority endorsement last year, was the first commitment by U.N. member states to get rid of the world's nuclear arsenals, surpassing earlier rhetoric stating that the elimination of nuclear weapons was humankind's "ultimate goal."
Specifically, Noboru emphasized the need to bring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force promptly and urged an immediate start of negotiations for a "cutoff treaty" to ban production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.
He also called for stepped-up negotiations between the United States and Russia to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear warheads to between 2,000 and 2,500 each.
The Japanese ambassador also urged the strengthening of nuclear nonproliferation regimes "to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction."
The committee on disarmament began a five-week session Monday. Resolutions on disarmament, including the one to be proposed by Japan, are expected to be adopted Oct. 31.