Nuke Free? Must Be Dreaming by Erick San Juan

Nuke Free? Must Be Dreaming
by Erick San Juan


Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday (Aug. 9) marked the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by renewing his commitment to a nuclear weapons free Japan, following criticism for not making the same pledge on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing last week.

"As the only nation in the world to have suffered a war-time nuclear attack, I have renewed my resolve to play a leading role in pursuing a world without nuclear weapons and maintain the three non-nuclear principles," Abe said in Nagasaki Peace Park.

The "three non-nuclear principles" are Japan's long-standing policy of not possessing or producing nuclear arms and not letting others bring them into the country.

Japan's defense minister triggered a new row over controversial security legislation on Wednesday when he said the bills under consideration by parliament would not rule out the military transporting the nuclear weapons of foreign forces.

Abe's cabinet adopted a resolution last year reinterpreting the pacifist constitution, drafted by Americans after World War Two, to let Japan exercise collective self-defense, or defend an ally under attack.

The unpopular bills have already passed the lower house and Abe's ruling bloc has a majority in the upper house as well. But surveys show a majority of voters are opposed to what would be a significant shift in Japan's defense policy. (Reuters UK)

Shinzo Abe emphasized further his adherence to non-nuclear weapon stand and taking it to the next level, in the global community – “Regrettably, a draft final document could not be adopted at the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, but Japan is determined to make even greater efforts toward realizing a world free of nuclear weapons as we continue to call for the cooperation of both nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states."

As an expression of that determination, the government of Japan will submit a new draft resolution on the total elimination of nuclear weapons at the United Nations General Assembly this autumn.

At the end of August, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Group of Eminent Persons meeting and the United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues will convene here in Hiroshima, as well as the G-7 foreign ministers’ meeting next year. "Through these international meetings, we will send out our thoughts powerfully from an atomic bombing site as a message to the international community.”

The paradox of adhering to a noble cause like going against the use of nuclear weapons for a safer world and at the same time being a loyal ally to a country that has the most number of state-of-the-art nuclear war materiel. It sounds familiar as what we are experiencing here, the reason why the progressives especially the anti-nuke activists kept on reminding that our constitution specifically banned nuclear weapons in the country. Due to our loyalty to the ‘big brother’, we do away with sovereignty and just kowtow to a perceived master in the process. Plus China's bullying made us a willing agent of the west

Now the alliances built against a perceived common enemy (China) fit to the plans of the US in the encirclement of China and has laid the ground for its pivot to Asia. But some pundits asked – will there be a shooting war between the two ‘superpowers’ or just saber rattling and will use proxy wars and cannon fodders in the process?

According to Bangkaw of the Worldwide Filipino Alliance, all wars whether aggression or defensive are violent. It is all about violence. It doesn't matter who instigate.

The efforts of nations especially at the ASEAN, now divided too, is a reflection that so many unresolved issues muddled talks and agreements and will unfortunately remain divided as long as contending parties will not give way and look for peaceful solutions.

And as long as there are nations capable of creating nuclear weapons, a nuclear weapons-free world will remain a dream and peace will always be threatened.