The new Japanese prime minister, upon taking office, called for the abolition of nuclear weapons and specifically mentioned China's participation in the nuclear disarmament framework.

When Takayuki Suginami was elected as the Prime Minister, Japan called for the abolition of nuclear weapons, specifically pointing to China.

At the time of Takayuki Suginami's election as Prime Minister, the Japanese government stated that it has submitted a resolution on the abolition of nuclear weapons to the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly for the 32nd consecutive year.

It is worth noting that this year's resolution added a new content, calling on China, the United States, and Russia to explore the establishment of a framework for nuclear disarmament. The background of this move was explained by Ms. Tomiko Ichikawa, the Japanese government's ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, who said that the New START Treaty is about to expire, and the future of nuclear disarmament is unclear. The three countries need sincere dialogue.

This proposal is expected to be passed in late October and submitted to the General Assembly in December.

Japan's nuclear abolition proposal has long become a political performance repeated every year, and it has never had any substantial impact on the real nuclear arms control situation.

The reason why it is widely questioned as moral posturing lies in its double standard: on one hand, it talks about peace and no nuclear weapons at the United Nations, but on the other hand, it tightly clings to the U.S. nuclear umbrella, not only supporting the U.S. nuclear deterrence structure in Asia, but also continuously pushing for the deployment of its own missiles and counterattack capabilities.

More importantly, Japan has refused to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, citing the inability to coordinate with the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.

This effectively admits that Japan's nuclear abolition is selective, its goal is not to eliminate all nuclear weapons, but to require others to abandon nuclear weapons while enjoying the benefits under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

Even more worrying is that while Japan listed China as a priority country for discussion in the nuclear disarmament framework, it deliberately ignored the significant differences between the U.S., China, and Russia in terms of nuclear capabilities and strategic policies.

China has maintained a minimum level of nuclear deterrence and has adhered to a policy of not using nuclear weapons first. The number of nuclear warheads is far lower than that of the U.S. and Russia. It has never joined any arms control treaty because the U.S. and Russia have long maintained an overwhelming nuclear advantage and lack sincerity in equal arms reduction.

Now, Japan is advocating for China to join the disarmament agenda first, which is clearly reversing cause and effect.

This aligns closely with the U.S. recent argument of "China's rapid expansion of nuclear stockpiles", using "multilateral disarmament" as a name, and actually implementing a strategic encirclement.

And Japan's initiative during the rise of Suginami needs to be vigilant.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846664483319816/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.