MP may represent NZ in Hiroshima

Whangarei MP Shane Reti

Whangarei MP Shane Reti, a fluent Japanese speaker, may be formally invited to represent New Zealand at the 70th year commemoration of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The event will take place in Hiroshima in August.

At the five-yearly United Nations review and conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York recently, the New Zealand representatives, of which Mr Reti was one of three, met the delegation from Hiroshima and survivors of the event that ended Japan's involvement in World War II.

Mr Reti is the executive secretary of the New Zealand Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and was at the NPT review with Labour MP Phil Goff, who is the parliamentary anti-nuclear weapons group's chairman, and NZ Disarmament ambassador Dell Higgie.

The Japanese delegation indicated they would like Mr Reti to attend the Hiroshima event.

Mr Reti said there was an obvious connection between the two countries because of Japan's experience and New Zealand's world-leading anti-nuclear stance.

The Japanese also liked the fact Mr Reti could speak Japanese fluently.

He was unsure when the official invitation to the commemoration would come but indicated he would like to attend, even if not as a government representative.

The 70th commemoration would provide another international forum to discuss hastening disarmament in line with the terms of the 45-year-old NPT, he said.

In recent years, France has cut back to 300 nuclear weapons, the UK is currently holding 200 weapons and the US and Russia have reduced their stockpiles.

But Russia is now standing still, saying it needs nuclear capability because of unstable neighbours and the US has announced a $1 billion annual commitment to maintaining its stockpile, saying the ageing armaments must be kept in safe condition.