International Experts Meeting on a 'World Without Nuclear Weapons' Opens in Hiroshima, Japan

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The "International Elders Conference," where former officials and intellectuals discuss the path toward a "world without nuclear weapons," opened in Hiroshima, Japan.

According to Kyodo News, the International Elders Conference is being held from the 10th to the 11th in Hiroshima, where the world's first nuclear weapon was dropped on August 6, 1945. Convened at the initiative of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (岸田文雄), whose electoral district includes Hiroshima, the conference includes a total of 15 members from nuclear-armed countries such as the United States, Russia, and China, as well as non-nuclear-weapon states like Germany and New Zealand.

Prime Minister Kishida, who regards nuclear disarmament as his lifelong mission, was originally scheduled to attend the opening ceremony but will attend the closing ceremony on the 11th due to parliamentary commitments. In a message sent to the opening ceremony, Kishida stated, "I hope concrete measures will be proposed on how to act based on the grave reality," and added, "I hope this will be an important step toward the abolition of nuclear weapons."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama also sent a video message emphasizing, "We must pursue a world without nuclear weapons for future generations." He also mentioned his historic visit to Hiroshima in May 2016 as the first sitting U.S. president to do so, recalling, "I will never forget it. It was a moment to reaffirm my determination to reduce the global nuclear threat."

United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres, in a video message, pointed out, with Russia's nuclear threat in mind, "I have never heard such an explicit threat of nuclear use since the Cold War." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sent a message emphasizing the importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime while referring to North Korea's nuclear development.