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2026 April 22 - 28 TOP3 [PEACE]

Shii submits to UN high representative for disarmament JCP proposal regarding NPT Review Conference

Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Chair Shii Kazuo on April 24 submitted to the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Nakamitsu Izumi, and the Japanese Permanent Mission to the UN a JCP proposal calling for the success of the 2026 NPT Review Conference.

Shii, as the head of the JCP delegation, is visiting New York City to take part in the Review Conference which will open on April 27.

In a meeting with Nakamitsu, Shii pointed out that the NPT and the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons are essential to achieving a world without nuclear weapons. He expressed his hope for the success of the Review Conference.

Shii noted that the past two conferences failed to release final documents. He stressed that if the conference is again concluded without a final document, this will send a negative message to the international community. He appealed for the need to adopt an outcome document containing proactive measures.

In this regard, Shii said that the JCP made a minimal proposal that “may be adopted by consensus at the Review Conference”.

The JCP proposal includes the following four points:

The first point is that all state parties to the NPT express that they, in compliance with the UN Charter, will refrain from the threat to use or the actual use of force.

The second point is that all state parties reaffirm that they will provide non-nuclear-weapons states with an assurance of not using or threatening to use nuclear weapons, and flesh out and implement this assurance.

The third point is that in order to break through the stagnation and the setbacks in the implementation of Article 6 of the NPT, items which were confirmed in the previous conferences be reaffirmed, crystalized, and implemented. They are, for example, “an unequivocal undertaking by nuclear-weapons states to eliminate nuclear weapons”, “an expression of deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons”, and “special efforts to establish a necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons”.

The fourth point is to give shape to and implement the 1995 NPT Review Conference resolution aimed at making the Middle East a region free from nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.

Shii said that among the four-point proposal, the first point has particular significance amid widespread lawless wars waged by nuclear-armed states in violation of the UN Charter. Explaining the reason behind the second point, he cited that nuclear powers are overtly threatening non-nuclear states with the use of nuclear arms. Regarding the third point, he pointed to the nuclear-weapons states’ failure to fulfill their nuclear disarmament obligation under Article 6 of the NPT, which undermines trust in the treaty. In regard to the fourth point, Shii said that establishing a nuclear-free zone in the Middel East, including Israel, is extremely important in regard to the ongoing conflicts there.

Shii stressed that under a situation where the security environment over nuclear weapons is deteriorating, the release of a final document agreed upon by all state parties will be highly meaningful.

In response, Nakamitsu said, “We are on the same page. An outcome document must be issued.” She pointed out that as the situation regarding the risk of nuclear war is critical, the 2026 Review Conference should be used as an opportunity to turn the critical situation around in order to implement Article 6. She emphasized the importance of reaffirming the “previous commitments” already made.