August 22, 2019

The participants of the Hiroshima Round Table and the Governor of the Hiroshima Prefecture, undersigned, are very concerned about the rising risk of the use of nuclear weapons, the steadily deteriorating situation surrounding nuclear arms control and disarmament, and the danger of the eroding credibility and effectiveness of the nuclear nonproliferation regime based on the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty). Therefore, we make an urgent appeal to preserve, uphold, and further advance nuclear arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation pacts, and to maintain peace and stability.

1. Regrettably, the INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces) Treaty has been abandoned. Bearing in mind the destabilizing consequences of any intermediate-range missiles arms race, we strongly urge all countries to exercise maximum restraint, and to explore all possibilities for reciprocal restraint.

2. It is imperative to exercise the option to extend the New START Treaty for an additional five year period. This would help maintain stability and provide time to negotiate a follow-on agreement. We also urge the parties to discuss measures to control new types of strategic offensive arms under development, as well as strategic defensive arms.

3. The CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty) is an important constraint on nuclear proliferation and the arms race. We urge relevant states to sign and/or ratify the CTBT in order to enable its entry into force as soon as possible. Until such time, all countries should refrain from activities that would defeat the object and purpose of the treaty.

4. The JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) has made a significant and effective contribution to achieving non-proliferation goals in the Middle East and globally. We deeply regret the unilateral decision by one party to abandon it and urge all parties to continue to uphold its multilaterally negotiated commitments.

(In Alphabetical order)
ABE Nobuyasu
AKIYAMA Nobumasa
CHUN Yungwoo
Tytti ERASTO
Gareth EVANS
FUJIWARA Kiichi
HIROSE Kentaro
G. John IKENBERRY
Anton KHLOPKOV
KURIZAKI Shuhei
Jeffrey LEWIS
MOON Chung-in
MUKAI Wakana
Deborah G. ROSENBLUM
Scott D. SAGAN
SHEN Dingli
SHIBAI Kiyohisa
Ramesh THAKUR
TOSAKI Hirofumi
YUZAKI Hidehiko
ZHAO Tong