Part Two of Two Parts (Please read Part One first)
Japan is special case with respect to nuclear disarmament for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that Japan is the only nation on Earth to suffer nuclear attack. Two of her cities were devastated and over two hundred thousand people died when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. Setting aside the question of whether or not the attack was needed to end the war, the fact remains that the Japanese people have a very personal reason for opposing nuclear weapons. Public opposition to nuclear weapons has been very strong in Japan since World War II.
Another thing that makes Japan special is that it is one of a small number of nations that is currently being threatened with nuclear attack by North Korea. In order to reduce the possibility of Japan developing its own nuclear weapons program, the U.S, has placed Japan under its nuclear umbrella, promising to attack any nation which attacks Japan. Recently there have been calls both inside of Japan and outside of Japan for Japan to reconsider its commitment to not develop nuclear weapons of its own.
A Japanese official explained that Japan would like to see the elimination of nuclear weapons but feels that the new resolution which calls for immediate negotiation is premature. Japan feels that the international situation in Asia with North Korea threatening its neighbors with nuclear destruction calls for more extended and gradual negotiations with respect to the elimination of all nuclear weapons. Japan has said that it will participate in the negotiations nonetheless.
In addition to the reasons given by the Japanese government with respect to its no vote on the UN resolution, it is known that the U.S. has been pressuring its allies to vote against the resolution. It is believed that the U.S. specifically urged Japan to vote against negotiations on a nuclear treaty ban and not to merely abstain. The U.S. would also like Japan to not participate in the forthcoming negotiations for a global treaty banning all nuclear weapons. The fact that Japan is dependent on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for security suggests that such pressure would have had a strong influence on the Japanese vote.
Japan has submitted a resolution to the U.N. to ban nuclear weapons twenty three times. The most recent Japanese resolution was approved on October 27 by one hundred and sixty seven member nations. China, Russia, North Korea and Syria voted against the Japanese resolution and another seventeen nations abstained. The U.S. has abstained from voting on previous Japanese resolutions in the past but did vote in favor of this new resolution. Some analysts believe that the U.S. voted yes this time in return for a Japanese no vote on the other new resolution for a total global ban. Yielding to the U.S. pressure means that Japan has loss its moral credibility in calling for an end to all nuclear weapons. Other nations may have difficulty in believing that Japan is sincere in its quest to eliminate nuclear weapons given its hypocritical vote on the new U.N. resolution.
Seal of the Office of the Prime Minister and the Government of Japan:
