HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) Nuclear weapons continue to menace the survival of humankind 20 years after the end of the Cold War.

A Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a parley that is held once every five years and would affect the future of nuclear weapons, began at the New York headquarters of the United Nations on Monday.

Human wisdom, courage and action have never been needed more than now to create a nuclear-free world. Japan's leadership will be also tested as the only country in the world to have experienced atomic bombings.