日本被団協

For the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons

Hidankyo issued a statement concerning the North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT and sent it to the governmental officials.

January 14, 2003

Statement: We call on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to reverse its decision of withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

January 10, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and no longer be bound by monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

We, Hibakusha (A-bomb survivors), experienced the suffering of the atomic bombings 57 years ago and since then have been living in pain. We have drawn a lesson that nuclear victims would never be created any more and have appealed to eliminate nuclear weapons. After nuclear weapons states agreed to make the “unequivocal undertaking” to accomplish the abolition of their nuclear weapons in the 2000 NPT Review Conference, we have especially called on these states to pursue in good faith to implement the agreement.

You stated in the announcement that you have no intention to produce nuclear weapons. Even though it is an unequal treaty, the NPT is the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime which bans on further development of nuclear weapon to the member states. In this context, your statement contradicts yourselves because withdrawing from the NPT means that you will pave the way for development of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are arms of evil, aiming at annihilating humans. It violates not only international law but humanitarian manners. The International Court of Justice made the advisory opinion to the United Nations General Assembly in July 1996 that use and threat of nuclear weapons are contrary to international law. We can never accept to use such arms as a tool of diplomacy.

The US Bush Administration, which came to power in 2001, has forced unilateral policy against international public opinion. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, it launched the military attack on Afghanistan, claiming to root out international terrorist groups and overthrew the Taliban regime. The US identified some countries as “rough states” and now preparing to exercise their military power against Iraq, one of those states, with the possibility of use of nuclear weapons. Under such circumstances, it may result in serious condition that you refer to proceed with nuclear development program as a tool of negotiation over security issue with the United States.

We urgently call on you to reverse the decision to withdraw from the NPT.

Nihon Hidankyo
(Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations)

Other statements