Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, foreground, addresses the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 19. (AP Photo)

Addressing the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 19, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he has made nuclear disarmament his “lifelong mission.”

Twice in his speech, Kishida used the word “mainstream” as a verb. That caught my attention.

First, he referred to the nuclear disarmament trend as having been successfully “mainstreamed.”

Next, he said, “To set in stone the trend of ‘mainstreaming’ nuclear disarmament, it is paramount to transcend purely government efforts and engage in multilayered efforts."

The history of nuclear disarmament makes me think of the alphabet soup of acronyms for the treaties, the Japanese translations of which are in kanji.

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) had to do with U.S.-Soviet negotiations.

Japan has actively participated in multilateral treaties as a signatory or by declaring its support.

Kishida mentioned the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in his U.N. address. Since he spoke of “upholding and strengthening the NPT,” I am sure he is “mainstreaming” it.

When the treaty came into force in 1970, it was expected to serve as the main driving force for nuclear disarmament. However, the signatory nations in possession of nuclear weapons failed to live up to their duties.

Angry and frustrated, non-nuclear nations and hibakusha protested, resulting in the creation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which took effect in 2021.

But Japan, which is under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, continues to ignore it to this day. Predictably, Kishida never mentioned it in his U.N. speech. I suppose he is giving the TPNW the “non-mainstream” treatment.

He did, however, speak about the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) in connection with the NPT.

Intended to ban the further production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices, then U.S. President Bill Clinton proposed the treaty in 1993 during a General Assembly session.

Kishida stressed the significance of this treaty “has not diminished by any measure,” though negotiations have not even begun.

As the FMCT seems capable of applying pressure on China, whose military expansion is perceived as a threat, the United States is committed to it.

Ultimately, Kishida’s choice of his lifelong mission is influenced by the United States. It is a sorry reality when you think about it.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 21

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.