During the third day of talks at the United Nations to negotiate a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, Japan Democratic Party Chairman Kazuo Shii made a statement as a representative of a non-governmental organization. It was the first time for a JCP leader to speak at an official UN conference.

“I regret that the Japanese government is not here to participate in the conference,” Shii said. “Nonetheless, it is true that not only the atomic bomb survivors, but a majority of the Japanese people support the efforts of this United Nations conference.” (Abridged)