The Japanese government pledged on Wednesday to take a leading role in realizing a world without nuclear weapons after Group of Eight leaders agreed in Italy to strengthen efforts at nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
"We are ready to take a leadership role towards nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said at a press conference.
Kawamura referred to the appointment of Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano as the next International Atomic Energy Agency director general in expressing this willingness to tackle the issue.
"We hope that all nuclear powers share this view and that there will be a significant move toward nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation," he said.
The G-8 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.