Ishiba: Japan to ‘seriously consider’ U.N. nuke ban observer status

Recently, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a grassroots group of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors advocating for the elimination of nuclear arms. Following this, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has hinted that Japan may participate as an observer in a U.N. conference for signatories of a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons.

During a television program, Ishiba expressed a more positive stance towards Japan’s potential involvement in the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This shift comes amidst criticism towards Japan, the only nation to have experienced nuclear attacks, for not taking part in the treaty.

This development follows a debate ahead of the upcoming Lower House election on October 27. Ishiba’s remarks indicate a significant reconsideration of Japan’s position on nuclear disarmament, aligning more closely with the sentiments of the atomic bomb survivors honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.