A monthlong international conference on nuclear nonproliferation that began Monday in New York is once again facing challenges in charting a path toward its goals, as the international security environment has become even more unsettled since the previous meeting in 2015, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In a speech on the first day of the review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) held at the U.N. headquarters, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled an action plan as "the first step of a realistic road map" to the treaty's final goal of achieving nuclear disarmament.

His plan includes a call for nuclear powers to enhance the transparency of their capabilities and for the creation of a fund to help young people visit the two atomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to learn about the realities of nuclear weapons.