ABSTRACT
During the mid- and latter-1990s Japan took an increasingly clear position for nuclear abolition. In 1993 Japan told the First Committee that the probability of nuclear war had, with the end of the Cold War, "receded dramatically." In 1994 Japan declared elimination of nuclear weapons as an objective, but only as an "ultimate goal": The maintenance of international peace and security is the primary area of concern to the United Nations. On 8 July 1996 the International Court of Justice, in response to a request from the UN General Assembly, pronounced on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTIs) mission is to strengthen global security by reducing the risk of use and preventing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. NTI seeks to raise public awareness, serve as a catalyst for new thinking and take direct action to reduce these threats.
