U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday there is an "urgent need" for a total ban on nuclear weapons amid heightened tensions stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Japan able to play an important role in achieving that goal.
His comments came in advance of the first meeting to be held Tuesday in Vienna of state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force last year.
"Recent events have highlighted the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and have further underscored the urgent need for their total elimination," he said in a written interview.