Government may OK partial ban on cluster bombs

June, 17 2007

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Japan

The government has decided it likely will approve a treaty to impose limited controls on the use of cluster bombs in anticipation of a working session of an international panel this week to deal with the controversial issue.

However, Japan opposes a complete ban on the munition.

The policy was developed ahead of a meeting on the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which will begin Tuesday in Geneva. Representatives from participating countries are hoping to establish a new treaty controlling the weapon's use.

On the understanding that Japan is against the immediate and complete abolition of the bombs, the government's policy is to back a ban on the use of the bombs in densely populated areas, as well as the ban on the use of types of cluster bombs that tend to remain unexploded. However, the policy says, the government approves of using cluster bombs with a function that keeps unexploded submunitions from detonating.

Through these proposals, the government hopes to reach an agreement it finds acceptable.

Cluster bombs contain several submunitions that are sent over a large area while the bomb is in midair. There have been many reports of civilians who were killed while handling the unexploded bomblets. But Japan, which possesses four kinds of cluster bomb, remains cautious over a treaty completely banning the weapons.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/world/20070617TDY01001.htm