JAPAN is seeking Brunei’s support for its initiative on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in the region.
The statement was made yesterday by the Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Noriki Hirose during a joint press conference with Australian High Commissioner Mark Sawers.
The two diplomats also announced the launch of the report “Eliminating Nuclear Threats: A Practical Agenda for Global Policymakers by the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND)”.
“If your government (Brunei) wants to say something about nuclear non-proliferation, it’s a good occasion to talk about it and it’s a good time for Brunei to play its role on the issue,” said Hirose.
Brunei has been a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1985.
Hirose expressed his concerned over North Korea’s nuclear programme and stressed the need for efforts to contain nuclear proliferation.
The diplomats also highlighted the importance of the ICNND report being the work of an independent commission established by both governments, and made it clear that the report did not represent the policy position of either of the two governments.
The ICNND report was launched by Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Tokyo on December 15, 2009.
“It (the report) is conducted as an extensive review process of the current situation with disarmament and non-proliferation globally,” said Sawers, adding that the report is intended to stimulate and provide forward-looking options and possibilities in the upcoming Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May.
The Review Conference, held every five years, is to assess developments since the previous conference, address current challenges and identify areas for further progress.
“The report has a comprehensive overview of the current situation and also can be a roadmap for eliminating the atomic arms and some measures to stop proliferation,” Hirose explained.
Japan remains the only nation to have suffered atomic bomb attacks. The atomic bombs detonated over Japan at the end of World War II in 1945 claimed nearly 140,000 lives in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.
The 230-page report states as its recommendations, among others, the setting of a medium-term “minimisation point” target by 2025 of a world with less than 2,000 nuclear warheads, a reduction of more than 90 per cent of the present number of nuclear arms; a proposed new 20-point statement on disarmament, tough new measures against nuclear proliferation and a suggested approach to moving forward the issue of a weapons of mass destruction free zone in the Middle East.
It also recommends a plea for early movement by the nuclear-armed states on refining their nuclear doctrines to limit the role of nuclear weapons and give unequivocal assurances they will not be used against non-nuclear weapons states.
The report also calls for a rethinking of existing approaches to “extended deterrence” as well as support for the further development of civil nuclear energy, subject to effective security, safeguards and safety measures, and with much more attention being paid to proliferation-resistant technologies and to creating disincentives to states building their own enrichment and reprocessing facilities.
Sawers said the report could be used as a valuable contribution as Brunei has a role to play in achieving positive outcomes at the international debate of the NPT Review Conference. “So, the Brunei government will think about what to achieve and establish its position,” he said.
The report is accessible to the public because it is important for people to be aware of the issues as governments will often need feedback from the public, he added.
The report can be found at: http://www.icnnd.org/reference/reports/ent/index.html.
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