Nagasaki’s mayor has criticised Japan’s government for failing to sign on to an international nuclear disarmament effort as the country marked the 68th anniversary Friday of the atomic bombing of his city.
Mayor Tomihisa Taue’s criticism stemmed from Japan’s refusal to sign in April a document in which nearly 80 countries unconditionally pledged to never use nuclear weapons.
He said Japan’s inaction “betrayed expectations of the global community.”
The document, prepared in Geneva by a UN committee, is largely symbolic because none of the signatories possess nuclear weapons. None of the countries known to have a nuclear arsenal including the United States, Russia, India and Pakistan signed it.
Japan also does not possess a nuclear device and has pledged not to produce any although some hawkish members of the ruling party say the country should consider a nuclear option.