The Tenth Review Conference of the Parties tothe Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)NGO Presentation
August 5, 2022 (New York)

Mayors for Peace(Statement by TAUE Tomihisa, Vice President of Mayors for Peace and Mayor of Nagasaki)

Chairman, distinguished delegates, and leaders of civil groups, I am TAUE Tomihisa, Mayorof Nagasaki. I would like to express my respect to all of those who worked tirelessly to organize
this conference and would like to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to youall.
In Japan, today happens to be August 6, the day when the first atomic bomb in human history
was dropped on Hiroshima. Just three days after, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.
The bomb produced intense heat, a powerful blast, and radiation. It instantly reduced a citywhere people lived to ruins. By the end of that year, around 210,000 precious lives in the twocities were lost. Those who barely managed to survive suffered from the aftereffects ofradiation exposure and faced discrimination and prejudice from society. However, they havecontinued to share their painful memories out of their strong commitment to realize a world
without nuclear weapons.
Over the years, the hibakusha’s wish to “never let anyone in the world go through the samesuffering” has resonated throughout the world, raising awareness of the inhumanity of nuclear
weapons. I believe this has prevented another Hiroshima and Nagasaki from happening forthe past 77 years.
Nevertheless, decades of effort can be undone if just one nuclear-weapon state decides to use
all of its power to tyrannize other states. We were subjected to such a risk when Russia implied
the use of nuclear weapons during the Ukraine invasion.
More convinced than ever before, I hereby make the following appeal to every state including
the nuclear-weapon states:“Nuclear weapons must never be used. Abolition is the only way for humanity to avoid thedangers of nuclear weapons.”
As reaffirmed in the final document of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the NPT and the TPNW reinforce each other and,1

together, they are both integral to the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.
The Mayors for Peace, with its 8,200 member cities from 166 countries and regions, willendeavor to increase momentum towards the abolition of nuclear weapons. We will do so by
working together with countries promoting the TPNW, the United Nations, and NGOs, tocultivate a public sentiment that will lead to more states parties to the TPNW and ensure itseffectiveness. Furthermore, we, as a part of civil society, will create an environment that willenable nuclear-weapon states to work on nuclear disarmament and will facilitate steady efforts
towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.
I sincerely hope that during this conference the states parties will reaffirm agreements madein past conferences, carry out the obligation described in Article 6 to pursue negotiations ingood faith towards nuclear disarmament, and propose concrete strategies to ensure progressin nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation measures.
Lastly, I would like to impart the following message:

May Nagasaki be the last wartime atomic bombing site.
Hiroshima will forever remain the “first wartime atomic bombing site.” However, whether
Nagasaki will remain the “last wartime atomic bombing site” depends on the future that wecreate.
I would like to close my statement by sharing this message and by expressing our commitment
to continue striving for a world without nuclear weapons in hopes that there will never be athird wartime atomic bombing site.
Thank you2