Protest letter against the Russia subcritical nuclear test (November 14, 1997)

November 14, 1997

The Honorable Nikolaevich Boris Yeltsin
President
The Russian Federation

His Excellency Mr. Alexander Nikolaevich Panov
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Russian Federation
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Japan

Letter of Protest

With the tide of public opinion turning inexorably toward nuclear disarmament, your nation's implementation of subcritical nuclear testing for the purpose of maintaining nuclear weapons forsakes the effort toward nuclear disarmament demanded of the nuclear powers by the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). It endangers effectuation of the CTBT, and heightens the risk of nuclear proliferation. On behalf of the citizens of Hiroshima, I hereby strongly protest.

I request that your country immediately halt all subcritical nuclear testing and, based on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice to the effect that, "There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament," I demand that you work actively and positively toward early effectuation of the CTBT and rapid negotiations toward a treaty that will ban the production of weapons-grade fissionable material(Cut Off Treaty), and that you strive in every possible way toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Sincerely yours,

Takashi Hiraoka
Mayor
Hiroshima City