Statements

The Japan P.E.N. Club expresses its extreme indignation at the announcement of the American subcritical nuclear tests which were undertaken on 26th September 1998 in Nevada, and wishes to address a strong protest to President Clinton and the Government of the United States of America. It is a sophism to argue that these tests do not violate the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty just because no nuclear explosions were involved in the said experiments.

The Japan P.E.N. Club issued statements in protest of the Indian and Pakistani nuclear experiments, and we are deeply disappointed that new experiments, even if they are sub-critical ones, aiming at the development of nuclear weapons are undertaken at this precise moment when the above mentioned two countries are taking a positive attitude vis-à-vis the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.

As an association of people who are aspiring to the elimination of nuclear weapons and the advent of a peaceful international society, we are deeply preoccupied that this sort of tests may be conducive to a further proliferation of nuclear weapons, and we strongly demand that such tests no be repeted in the future.

September 28th, 1998