TASK
SETTING
TASK
1 (Formulation of an inventory)
Increasing transparency regarding nuclear weapons and nuclear
materials is a task both for the world as a whole and for this
region.
The most fundamental task on the global scale is to require
all states concerned to give annual reports with full records of
nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon usable materials, as well as
their delivery systems. Not only will such data be necessary when
trying to achieve the goal of the elimination of nuclear weapons,
but will form the foundation of confidence-building in the process
toward the goal. It would be desirable to require that the data be
submitted as reports to the NPT Review Conferences and their
Preparatory Committees. One way to do this would be for the UN
Department of Disarmament Affairs to provide a type of standardized
report.
In order to promote the confidence building and disarmament
necessary for peace in Northeast Asia, it is vital to increase
transparency regarding the deployment and operational status of
nuclear weapons in the region. The Japanese government should make
efforts to increase transparency regarding the nuclear arsenals of
China, the Russian Pacific region and the US Pacific region, as well
as their delivery systems. This task will be essential for any
project to establish a nuclear weapon-free zone (NWFZ) in Northeast
Asia.
TASK 2 (Call to abandon the NCND policy)
The US policy of “neither confirm nor deny” (NCND) has
been a major obstacle for increasing transparency. Actually,
suspicions among Japanese citizens that nuclear weapons are being
introduced into Japan on US ships and aircraft has not yet been
eliminated due to the NCND policy. It is the GOJ’s concrete task
related to this item to demand a change of the US NCND policy.
EVALUATION
As for TASK
1, no such efforts seem to have been
made by the GOJ, and it does not seem to have any intention to do
so. This is a basic task, and we urge future efforts.
As for TASK
2, there were many cases in the
relevant period where municipalities could not persuade their
citizens to accept the GOJ’s explanation of why it believes in the
non-existence of nuclear weapons aboard the US ships. Examples of
such cases were aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk’s visit to Otaru,
Hokkaido (October 13, 2000), the 7th Fleet flagship USS
Blue Ridge’s attempt to visit Tomakomai, Hokkaido (February 7,
2001), which was abandoned, and the Aegis cruiser USS Vincennes’
visit to Himeji, Hyogo (August 28, 2001). These constitute evidence
that the lack of transparency resulting from the US NCND policy has
stirred Japanese citizens’ sense of insecurity. Moreover,
considering the responses by China and the DPRK, that are on alert
against US military forces, the NCND policy is definitely raising
tension in this region. However, the Japanese government has never
requested the US to change its NCND policy.
As a whole, we give a D grade to the GOJ’s efforts on this
item.
