Media Advisory, February 22, 2010
Contact: Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute: +1 (646) 289-5170 Ambassador Robert Grey, Jr., Director of the Bipartisan Security Group: +1 (202) 543-9017
Over 200 Japanese legislators endorsed a letter delivered to President Obama on Friday supporting his stated policy objectives of moving towards a world without nuclear weapons—undercutting a key argument against President Obama’s nuclear disarmament vision.
“Such unequivocal cross-party support from an important US ally is a key victory for the Obama nuclear agenda,” said Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute. Opponents of Obama’s nuclear policies often cite the dependency of Japan and other US allies on the US nuclear deterrent, including a first-strike capability, claiming that moves towards disarmament will incite these allies to develop their own nuclear arsenal. The letter from the parliamentary is a clear rebuttal of this fallacious argument.
The parliamentary letter follows a first letter sent by Foreign Minister Okada to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December, 2009, requesting US consideration of adoption of a “no first use” policy, in which the US would vow never to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict. This policy is a recommendation of the recent report of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, co-chaired by former Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans.
“This will hopefully have an immediate impact on the ongoing debate over the Nuclear Posture Review,” said Ambassador Robert Grey Jr., Director of GSI’s Bipartisan Security Group. “This conclusively demonstrates that the arguments on extended deterrence advanced by Schlesinger and Kyl are unfounded.”
The Global Security Institute works closely with several elements in the Japanese Government, including parliamentarians (through its Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament program) and the foreign ministry (through its Middle Powers Initiative program). GSI President Granoff met recently with Foreign Minister Okada in Tokyo. He is available for commentary in the New York office of the Global Security Institute, 866 UN Plaza, Suite 4050, New York, NY 10017. +(646) 289-5170.
An unofficial translation of the parliamentary letter is available at: http://www.gsinstitute.org/archives/Okada_Obama.doc. An unofficial translation of Foreign Minister Okada’s letter is available at: http://www.gsinstitute.org/archives/Okada_Clinton.pdf.
For more information, see the PNND website.
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