During her recent visit to Japan, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, was interviewed by the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). The conversation was part of the “Japan’s Voices” series of the JIIA Center for Global Outreach (CGO) with Ms. Umi Ariga, Research Fellow at the JIIA and a participant at the recent UN Youth4Disarmament Forum, leading the interview.
Looking towards the upcoming Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Ms. Ariga asked about the growing fragility of the global nuclear order. The High Representative underscored that the disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control regime has been weakening for several years, and its architecture is currently under severe strain due to rising geopolitical tensions, arms races, and emerging technologies.
Ms. Nakamitsu also recognised the growing cynicism among non-aligned non-nuclear weapons states about the progress on disarmament and, in fact, the reverse trends. “The nuclear order is being put to question, and that is a very dangerous thing we see”, she warned during the interview.
Would you like to hear more about the prospects for the Review Conference, the current challenges, and Ms. Nakamitsu’s vision for a realistic and meaningful outcome? And are you curious about Japan’s unique role in this critical situation? Watch the full interview here.
