An online symposium on nuclear disarmament was held in Japan on Sunday ahead of the UN-designated International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26.
The event was organized by a non-governmental organization and the United Nations Information Centre.
The head of the Foreign Ministry's Arms Control and Disarmament Division, Ishii Yoshizane, said the security of the international community is in a critical situation. He noted that the number of nuclear weapons has decreased to about 10,000, but may rise again.
Ishii indicated that the Japanese government will urge countries to start negotiations on the proposed Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty. The purpose of the proposed pact, for which a UN resolution was adopted three decades ago, is to ban production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices.
Representing the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, Tanaka Terumi said only a single atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima City, and it is abnormal the world has still over 10,000 such weapons.
He suggested the government takes the issue too lightly. Tanaka said nuclear weapons could be used at any time and he wants the world to think about how to get rid of them.
Graduate school student Endo Akari said it is necessary to continue discussions on the weapons even when people have different opinions.
She said she wants to move the international community toward abolishing nuclear weapons by forging ties among citizens through forums like the symposium.