Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called for the abolition of nuclear weapons at international talks in Geneva on Tuesday, urging the international community not to ignore the voices of peace-loving citizens.
He spoke at the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, just as concerns are mounting over rising nuclear risks due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the tense situation in East Asia.
"With the current international circumstances, we have seen the perception of nuclear weapons drastically shift from weapons that must never be used to weapons that can be used under certain conditions, a shift that we find profoundly concerning," Matsui said in his speech.