NUCLEAR TESTS

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28179, 18 January 1957, Page 11

NUCLEAR TESTS

Japan Appeals For Ending (Rec. 8.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, Jan. 16. Japan today appealed to the United Nations for the cessation of nuclear tests at the earliest possible date. Mr Renzo Sawada, the Japanese delegate, urged the General Assembly’s political committee to agree to establishing procedure for prior notification of all kinds of test explosions. This procedure. which he described as the minimum requirement, should be established by a competent organ of the United Nations. “If an agreement is reached to impose international control over test explosions for military purposes, its psychological effect alone will be tremendous,” Mr Sawada said. While it was true that there had been no known damage to human health from the tests since the Bikini explosion in the spring of 1954. Japanese medical experts and scientists were not quite satisfied with the assertion that the current scale of test explosions would not cause damage to human bodies.

“Aside from the danger to human health, we cannot lose sight of possible economic losses suffered by the fishing and other industries which no precautionary measure could prevent.” As long as nuclear tests were permitted, the march of inventions of vicious weapons would never be halted, Mr Sawada said.

“Promoted by the hope for the eventual prohibition of nuclear weapons and giving due consideration to the existing circumstances. I urge this committee to agree as a minimum to establish pro-' cedures for prior notification of all kinds of test explosions to a competent organ of the United Nations, to provide absolute safety for human health under international supervision, and to assume that no economic losses be inflicted upon other parties.” Mr Sawada said.

“It is believed that such a step would not only be practicable and promise full compliance, but would also pave the way for the eventual elimination of nuclear warfare, an obligation which is upheld by everybody everywhere.” The Japanese people, “being the first and only victim of atomic bombing,” were aware, probably more realistically than any other nations, of the calamitous disasters which nuclear weapons could bring upon mankind, he said.

British Cinema Going.—Admissions to cinemas in Britain increased slightly in the third quarter of last year, apparently because of last summer’s bad weather as well as the run of outstanding films at that time, according to the Board of Trade. Attendance totalled 293.000.000. Gross takings were £28.576,000. — London, January 16.