UN approves resolution against nuclear weapons promoted by Tokyo

China and Russia voted against. France, which had previously abstained, voted in favor. The draft will be adopted by the General Assembly in December. Japanese Foreign Minister: "A concrete measure to realize a world without nuclear weapons."

New York (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A United Nations committee today approved a resolution sponsored by Japan in favor of the elimination of nuclear weapons. Among the members of the Permanent Council (which according to international treaties should be the only ones to lawfully possess nuclear weapons), China and Russia voted against.

The United States and Britain had co-sponsored the document, and France, which had previously abstained, also voted in favor. The draft resolution will be formally adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in December. 

"This resolution, which is a concrete measure to achieve a world without nuclear weapons, provides all states with common ground to work together and thus bridges the gap between nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states," said Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

Japan is part of a military alliance with the United States that includes nuclear deterrence as a means of defense. The resolution does not mention the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force in January of this year, and includes some different wording than previous documents on the subject.  

Today's resolution includes wording to ""bearing in mind" the fact that "various approaches exist towards the realization of a world without nuclear weapons and that confidence-building among all States is essential to this end." The document also uses the word "recognize" in reference to the "catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from the use of nuclear weapons."