Virtual Symposium „Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control, and Non-Proliferation. German and Japanese Perspectives ahead of the NPT Review Conference“

This year, under difficult circumstances, we celebrate both the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, and the 50th anniversary of the entry-into-force of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

At the same time, in 2020, we commemorate the 75th year after the horror of the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Against the backdrop of a turbulently changing world order, Hiroshima and Nagasaki remind us that sustainable impulses for nuclear disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation are urgently needed. Nuclear weapons still pose an imminent threat to mankind, and, as some have argued, may enter a renaissance before long.

Alongside many other countries, Japan and Germany work closely together to reverse any such trends and to come closer to the common goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. This especially concerns their leadership in diplomatic efforts such as the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI).

Despite these efforts, a world free of nuclear weapons seems remote. Nuclear disarmament has reached a standstill, proliferation crises demand our fullest resolve, the risk of inadvertent escalation is growing. The entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons polarizes the NPT community and reflects the wide expectation gap in achieving a world free of nuclear weapons. Ahead of the next Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2021, this symposium aims at reviewing the current state of the multilateral nuclear order, and weighing sustainable pathways to nuclear disarmament. High-ranking experts from politics, government, academia, and civil society will come together to discuss the issues at hand. Day 1 will focus on Japanese and German perspectives on nuclear disarmament, while Day 2 will focus on regional challenges in Asia and Europe.

Date:

3-4 December 2020

Time:

3 December: 9:30-11:30 (registration open at 9:00)

4 December: 10:00-11:45 (registration open at 9:30)

Language:

Day 1 (3 December) will be held in German and Japanese with simultaneous translation.

Day 2 (4 December) will be held in English without translation.

Edited videos of the symposium are now available as below:

Playlist of the videos of day 1 in German/Japanese with subtitles

Playlist of the videos of day 2 in English

Video of an interview in English after the symposium with Ambassador Nobuyasu ABE (former UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Tokyo) and Dr. Ulrich KÜHN (Head of the research area "Arms Control and Emerging Technologies", Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, University of Hamburg (IFSH)), moderated by Renate TENBUSCH (Director of EU Office, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Brussels).

All videos of the symposium are also included as hyperlinks for easy access in the PDF of the program.

Organized by: The Japanese-German Center Berlin (jdzb), the German Federal Foreign Office (AA), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)