The First Session of the Preparatory Committee for
the Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties tothe Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)NGO Presentation
August 2, 2023 (Vienna)

Mayors for Peace(Statement by SUZUKI Shiro, Vice President of Mayors for Peace and Mayor of Nagasaki)

Chairman, distinguished delegates, and leaders of civil groups, I am SUZUKI
Shiro, Mayor of Nagasaki. I would like to express my respect to everyone who has
worked tirelessly to organize this First Session of the Preparatory Committee andwould also like to express my gratitude for being allowed the opportunity toaddress you all.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows no signs of ending, nuclear weapons havebeen repeatedly used as an intimidation tool, and reliance on nuclear deterrence
is intensifying in response to this perceived threat. As these actions continue, theatomic bombed cities are growing ever concerned that less and less people will view
nuclear weapons as a taboo. One reason for this, is that there are still many aroundthe world who are not aware of the reality of the atomic bombing: what actually
happens when atomic bombs are used on people.
During the G7 Hiroshima Summit held last May, state leaders demonstrated theimportance of learning the reality of the atomic bombing by visiting the Hiroshima
Peace Memorial Museum and listening to the testimony of an atomic bomb
survivor.
Learning the reality of the atomic bombing is the starting point on the path
towards a world without nuclear weapons and serves as a driving force in bringing
about change in the world. Nuclear weapons are not only a threat confined toHiroshima and Nagasaki’s pasts; they are a present and future issue with whicheveryone living on Earth must contend.
I hereby call on the representatives of each state:
Visit the atomic bombed cities. Look with your eyes, listen with your ears, and feelfor yourself what happened to the people beneath the mushroom cloud. Then ask
yourself if you would want your children and their children to live in a world withnuclear weapons or one without.

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At present, there are approximately 12,000 nuclear weapons on this planet, with
90 percent of them in the possession of the United States and Russia. I call on these
nuclear superpowers to assume responsibility, make earnest efforts toward nuclear
disarmament, and create a new current among international society toward
nuclear disarmament. The INF Treaty, which was instrumental in ending the ColdWar, was negotiated upon and signed in the midst of high tensions. Therefore, I
request that you recall this significant piece of history in spite of the difficult
challenges we face and begin negotiations regarding a successor to the New START
Treaty that is due to expire in February 2026.
I hope that during this Preparatory Committee, the states parties will engage inconstructive dialogue focused on the concept of “human security,” and that thismeeting will serve as an opportunity to reinforce and strengthen a severely
weakening NPT regime, a cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmamentand non-proliferation regime.
I would like to close by sharing the following message and expressing my resolution
to do everything in my power to realize the abolition of nuclear weapons.
“Make Nagasaki the last wartime atomic bombing site.”Thank you.

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