The unique status of Japan, as a country with no active military, stands to be diluted today as the right-wing PM Shinzo Abe is going to bring security laws in the parliament undermining the Article-9 of the Japanese constitution that prohibits it from keeping an army and resorting to belligerence in international affairs.
We are shocked at the level of jingoism being peddled by the ministers of the Modi government, members of the ruling BJP and sections of the mainstream media in India over the recent action by the Indian army in Manipur.
As the 2015 NPT Review Conference ended, over 100 states had endorsed the humanitarian pledge, committing to work for a new legally binding instrument for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. The pledge reflects a fundamental shift in the international discourse on nuclear disarmament over the past five years. It is the latest indication that a majority of governments are preparing for diplomatic action after the Review Conference.
The peace movements must put all their efforts to ensure that the 2015 NPT Review Conference, scheduled from April 27 – May 22 in New York, takes up the issue with all seriousness and lays out a time-bound and workable programme towards that end.