Tokyo powerless on nuclear front

["J. J. Rozental" <joseroze@netvision.net.il>]

Tokyo powerless on nuclear front


Asahi Evening News

MASATO TAINAKA

May 19, 2000

NEW YORK-Japanese officials feel impotent to affect change as vthe ongoing
review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) starts to
wind up.

With only one day to go, officials say they feel powerless and unable to
play a meaningful role in the talks.

Tokyo pinpointed two areas of major importance, but found it could not flex
its diplomatic muscle.

It desperately wanted to promote negotiations on a pact banning the
production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other explosive
devices (FMCT)-the so-called cut-off treaty. Tokyo wanted the issue
concluded by 2003 and no later than 2005. It has also strived for a
moratorium on the production of fissile material until the proposed treaty
takes effect.

But Japanese delegation members now fear that China will kill the FMCT
proposal in its strategy to counterbalance the United States' National
Missile Defense (NMD) plan, which Beijing strongly opposes.


``All we can do now is to ask the other four nuclear powers to persuade
China to change its mind,'' said a senior Japanese official.

The five nuclear powers agreed May 1 in a joint statement to preserve and
strengthen the 1972 U.S.-Russian Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty , but China
openly suspects that the United States will try to modify the pact.

It would pave the way for the introduction of a limited U.S. missile defense
system, deployed in Alaska, to guard against missile attacks by ``rogue
states.''

China also insists that negotiations on the FMCT should be linked with the
promotion of negotiations on the prevention of an arms race in outer space.

Japan has also found it is unable to act as a mediator between the nuclear
powers and the New Agenda Coalition (NAC), a group of non-nuclear nations
that seek swift disarmament by the five established nuclear powers.

For example, Tokyo has been searching for a compromise on a controversial
paragraph in working papers issued by the chairman of the Main Committee's
subsidiary body which is in charge of nuclear disarmament.

The paragraph in question calls for ``an unequivocal undertaking by the
nuclear-weapon states to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear
arsenals and, in the forthcoming NPT review period 2000 to 2005, to engage
in an accelerated process of negotiations and to take steps leading to
nuclear disarmament to which all states parties are committed under Article
6.''

The five nuclear powers insist that disarmament should be the ``ultimate
goal.''

``The word `ultimate' used to be positive. But it no longer seems to work
that way,'' a Japanese official said.

``Japan has given the nuclear powers an excuse (to avoid mentioning a clear
time frame),'' the official said.

``Despite its intentions and preparations, Tokyo has failed to make an
impact at the NPT review conference,'' said Benjamin L. Self, senior
associate of the Henry L. Stimson Center.

He said Japan has been unable to distance itself from the position of the
nuclear powers, especially the United States.




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 Jose Julio Rozental
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel





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