"Do NOT use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict"
Posted: 8th April 2022
NoFirstUse Global interviews
Mayor Akiba on his sign-on appeal:
“Do NOT use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict”
On March 1, Tadatoshi Akiba, former Mayor of Hiroshima and former President of Mayors for Peace, launched a sign-on Appeal to Pesident Putin and other leaders: Do NOT use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. The Appeal is complementary to the Open Letter Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security, which Mayor Akiba has also endorsed.
Mayor Akiba’s appeal is being promoted on the Change.org platform, and has received over 96,000 endorsers to date. NoFirstUse Global encourages you to endorse the Appealif you have not already done so, and circulate it to your networks.
The appeal was sent to President Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida when the count was just over 50,000. When the count reaches 100,000, Mayor Akiba will resend the letters to President Putin and Prime Minister Kishida and also to the rest of the nuclear club leaders.
On April 3, NoFirstUse Global published an interview with Mayor Akiba which discusses the background and approach of the appeal, how it is being used to engage with the Russian government and other nuclear armed States, and the important role of allied countries like Japan to prevent nuclear war in the Ukraine conflict and in all conflicts.
How to persuade Russia not to use nukes in the Ukraine conflict
“For anybody to change the stated position publicly requires subtle nudging. Just shouting at that person may not work. Perhaps a better way is to set up an environment in which a compromise is acceptable. Any possibility that will point to a compromise, anything that encourages him not to use the weapon, is worth considering.”
“What about other nuclear-weapon states proposing that “Hey, if you promise you will not use nuclear weapons, we will promise that we will not use nuclear weapons in this conflict. And let’s go a step further: let’s declare that no one will use nuclear weapons against other states unless one is attacked by a nuclear weapon.” ”
”That is No-first-use.”
Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor Akiba on his appeal: Do NOT use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, NoFirstUse Global, April 3, 2022
Importance of law and political statements in building restraint from nuclear weapons use
Mayor Akiba’s appeal and the interview highlight important international law and political statements which can help build restraint on the threat or use of nuclear weapons. These include the:- 1996 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion which held that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is generally in violation of international law which is universally binding;
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which prohibts the threat or use of nuclear weapons for those states that join it;
- Joint January 3 statement of the five nuclear weapon States members of the NPT which expressed their agreement that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.’
Connections between no-first-use and nuclear disarmament
Mayor Akiba oultines the political difficulties (or virtual impossibility) for a progressive leader of a nuclear armed state to embark upon comprehensive nuclear abolition such as signing the TPNW, even if that leader wanted to do so.Akiba says that adopting no-first-use policies is a feasible first step toward comprehensive abolition. A progressive leader of a nuclear armed state could consider, for example, that no-first-use “is easier than ratifying TPNW outright now. This step might be doable. And this step does not cost much. And this step is persuasive enough for the majority of my people to support instantly. And it will be a good stepping stone to the ratification of TPNW.”
Counting numbers: Does no-first-use imply acceptance of second use?
Question from Aaron Tovish, NoFirstUse Global:
One of the criticisms that has been raised against no first use is that saying no first use somehow implies that the second use is perfectly okay. How do you respond to that criticism?
Answer from Tadatoshi Akiba:
If there is no first use, there is no second use. When we count numbers, we don’t start with 234. If we don’t count one, we cannot reach two — it’s as simple as that. When no one goes first, you end up not using any nuclear weapons.
Role of allied states – especially Japan
Mayor Akiba highlights the important role of allied countries – especially Japan, where populations from two cities (Hiroshima and Japan) have experienced the horror of the use of nuclear weapons.Japan’s current Prime Minister Kishida is from Hiroshima. According to Mayor Akiba, this gives the Prime Minister both an obligation and an opportunity to inform President Putin of the horror and unacceptability of using nuclear weapons.
“He [Prime Minister Kishida] should fly to Moscow and tell President Putin how terrible it would be to use nuclear weapons from historical facts,” says Mayor Akiba. “And he should also go to New York to attend the Security Council to do the same thing for other nuclear-weapon states leaders.”Click here to read the full interview of Mayor Akiba
