Japan Marks Hiroshima Anniversary, With North Korea on Its Mind<br />Mr. Abe has declined to support the treaty, arguing<br />that while eliminating nuclear weapons may be desirable, unilateral disarmament by Japanese allies would only aid North Korea and China.<br />On Sunday, the mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, and survivors groups urged Mr. Abe to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition<br />of Nuclear Weapons, a first-of-its-kind agreement negotiated at a United Nations conference last month.<br />" said one Twitter user, whose handle translated to "Peace is Number One." Many experts have questioned whether pre-emptive strikes on North Korean installations would be effective, given<br />that Pyongyang takes countermeasures like keeping its missiles mobile or hiding them deep underground. that What a thoughtless thing to say in Hiroshima!<br />As a treaty ally of the United States, Japan relies for its defense on the deterrent power of the Americans’ vast<br />arsenal, including the aircraft carriers, Tomahawk missiles and nuclear weapons that Japan does not possess.<br />Mr. Abe said that At the present time, we are not planning any specific deliberations about possessing<br />That ambivalent stance — rejecting such weapons for itself but approving their deployment by the United States — has also created political friction.
