Thursday evening’s Asahi claimed in its lead story that in drafting the annual UN General Assembly resolution calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons, the GOJ has chosen not to mention the Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC), which was cited by the Nobel Committee in awarding this year’s Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The paper noted that the tone of the language on nuclear disarmament and nuclear arms control in this year’s draft appears to be weaker than in previous ones but stronger on security aspects, such as North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. As a result, NWC proponents are reportedly displeased and may not support the adoption of the Japanese draft in the vote slated for December.

In a follow-up report this morning, Asahi said the draft reflects Japan’s reliance on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella,” quoting a MOFA source as saying: “It was necessary to incorporate in the draft such elements as national security and the importance of nuclear nonproliferation in view of the situation in North Korea.” 

Mainichi ran a similar story, quoting a NWC proponent as saying: “The chances are high that Japan altered the language in response to pressure from the United States.”