Protest letter against the China nuclear test (July 29, 1996)

July 29, 1996

The Honorable Jiang Zemin
The President
People's Republic of China

His Excellency Mr. Xu Dunxin
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
People's Republic of China
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Japan

Letter of Protest

Your country has, despite worldwide opposition, conducted a nuclear test immediately prior to the opening of the third session of the Geneva Conference on Disarmament at which the world eagerly anticipates final negotiation and agreement regarding the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Your test was a violent act running contrary to the nuclear disarmament efforts of the international community. I hereby vehemently protest.

Nuclear weapons can by no means assure your country's security. Rather, continued testing arouses distrust among nations and intensifies the danger of nuclear proliferation, a genuine threat to global peace and security. We demand that your country abandon the theory of nuclear deterrence and conscientiously fulfill its duty as a nuclear power by working in good faith toward nuclear disarmament and the abolition of nuclear weapons.

We are gratified that your country has declared a moratorium on nuclear testing. We urge you hold to that promise and contribute actively to an immediate signing of a CTBT that bans all forms of nuclear tests.

Takashi Hiraoka
Mayor
Hiroshima City