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On September 25, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada gave a speech at a ceremony commemorating the end of the “Armed Down! Campaign for Shared Security” and stressed that it was essential to change the trend in which countries tended to concentrate their national budget on nuclear weapons and military spending.
During his speech, Okada paid his respects as well as his appreciation to all those involved for their efforts in gathering over 10 million signatures within Japan calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and reduction of military spending.
Okada pointed out that “If we could devote even 1% of the budget used for military spending as funds using for the health of mothers and children, we would be able to save the lives of children who die before becoming adults. We can do this with even a very small amount of money.”
Okada also expressed his hopes for the future, referring to the fact that a treaty banning landmines and cluster bombs had been concluded, stating “that various major powers were still not a part of the treaty, but the world has started to make steady progress toward the elimination of such weapons. We can definitely realise a world without nuclear weapons.”
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