Policy recommendations on nuclear disarmament
Hiroshima Watch
Hiroshima Prefecture / Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe) has released "Hiroshima Watch 2024." This statement aims to verify the compliance status of various countries with their nuclear disarmament obligations, clarify what each country must do in the future, and encourage action towards a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons.
What is "Hiroshima Watch"?
"Hiroshima Watch" is a policy recommendation that verifies the compliance status of various countries with their nuclear disarmament obligations, clarifies what each country must do in the future, and encourages action.
◆ The decision to create "Hiroshima Watch" was made during the "Hiroshima Round Table 2023" (*1), focusing on what governments have actually promised and whether they have kept those promises in declarations at G7 and P5 (permanent members of the UN Security Council) meetings, G20, and NPT Review Conferences.
◆ The compliance verification targets are international agreements on nuclear disarmament, such as the G7 Summit Joint Document, G20 Leaders' Declaration, and NPT Review Conference Final Document.
◆ In creating "Hiroshima Watch," data from the "Hiroshima Report" (*2), which is compiled annually by Hiroshima Prefecture / Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe), is referenced.
(*1) Hiroshima Round Table
- Hiroshima Prefecture / Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe) has been holding the "Hiroshima Round Table" since 2013 as a multilateral forum for nuclear disarmament discussions.
- The "Hiroshima Round Table" is chaired by Professor Kiichi FUJIWARA (University of Tokyo at that time) and includes participants such as former foreign ministers and researchers from Japan, the U.S., China, South Korea, Australia, and Russia, including Professor Gareth EVANS.
- Until "Hiroshima Round Table 2023", various recommendations were made to the international community in the form of chair statements, etc.
- "Hiroshima Watch" is being created and released for the first time in 2024, instead of the previous chair statements, etc.
Details of the "Hiroshima Round Table" are available here
(*2)Hiroshima Report
- The "Hiroshima Report," compiled annually by Hiroshima Prefecture / Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe) , scores and analyzes the actions of nuclear-armed and major non-nuclear-armed countries in the fields of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and nuclear security based on certain criteria.
The latest "Hiroshima Report" is available here
The press conference for “Hiroshima Watch 2024”
About the name of "Hiroshima Watch"
The name "Hiroshima Watch" is inspired by "Helsinki Watch" (now Human Rights Watch), which was established to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Accords (1975) by governments in the former Eastern bloc and contributed to the democratization of this region in the late 1980s. Similarly, "Hiroshima Watch" aims to monitor whether governments are adhering to their commitments.
Appeal to the international community through "Hiroshima Watch"
On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the Hiroshima Prefectural Government and the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe) dispatched the "Hiroshima Watch 2024" accompanied by a letter from the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture. This missive was sent to all 193 member states and 2 regions of the United Nations, including Japan.
The purpose of this transmission is to monitor the status of each state's fulfilllment of obligations concerning nuclear risk reduction and nuclear disarmanship. It will also assess the commitments that each state has pledged to uphold. Based on these evaluations, we aim to identify necessary future actions and encourage each state to take them.
In the letter by the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, as an appeal from the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, clarifies the responsibility of nuclear weapon states, states under the nuclear umbrella, and other concerned states for the abolitoin of nuclear weapons and nuclear disamament.The Governor calls on each state to take decisive action toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, and also requests each state to take concrete steps towards establishing a peaceful international society free of nuclear weapons.
*Letter from the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture (PDFファイル)(120KB)
