Tokyo, June 10: Japan will back moves for a global ban oncluster bombs but will suggest a delay in implementing curbs to givecountries time to develop alternative weapons, a Tokyo daily reportedtoday.
Tokyo had decided to ''basically agree'' to a ban at meetings ofthe 100-country Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) inGeneva later this month and in November, the Sankei Shimbun said,citing research by the foreign and defence ministries.
Debate over cluster bombs, condemned because of the high rates ofcivilian casualties they cause, has intensified but big clustermunitions-producing states have resisted moves to stop their use.
Nearly 70 countries pledged support in May for a declarationcalling for an international ban by 2008, but the United States, Russiaand China -- the world's military giants -- were not among them.
Japan had also been declining to back the declaration, saying it needed such weapons to defend itself.
Now Tokyo was set to support the ban and to take part in shapingit so as to prevent the curbs from taking effect at once, the Sankeisaid.
Japan would call for countries to be allowed sufficient time todevelop other weapons and would push for the United States, Russia andChina to take part in the declaration to make the ban more effective,the report added.
Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma said last month that Japan wouldnever use cluster bombs to attack other countries, but was stockpilingthem to prevent invaders from landing on its shores.
Reuters>
Tokyo had decided to ''basically agree'' to a ban at meetings ofthe 100-country Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) inGeneva later this month and in November, the Sankei Shimbun said,citing research by the foreign and defence ministries.
Debate over cluster bombs, condemned because of the high rates ofcivilian casualties they cause, has intensified but big clustermunitions-producing states have resisted moves to stop their use.
Nearly 70 countries pledged support in May for a declarationcalling for an international ban by 2008, but the United States, Russiaand China -- the world's military giants -- were not among them.
Japan had also been declining to back the declaration, saying it needed such weapons to defend itself.
Now Tokyo was set to support the ban and to take part in shapingit so as to prevent the curbs from taking effect at once, the Sankeisaid.
Japan would call for countries to be allowed sufficient time todevelop other weapons and would push for the United States, Russia andChina to take part in the declaration to make the ban more effective,the report added.
Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma said last month that Japan wouldnever use cluster bombs to attack other countries, but was stockpilingthem to prevent invaders from landing on its shores.
Reuters>
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