The inaugural issue of the Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament (J-PAND) was published in May by Nagasaki University’s Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA).
The English-language journal aims to provide a forum for proposing policies and other ideas that could contribute to nuclear disarmament. To encourage public debate, J-PAND is provided on an open access basis by its publisher Taylor & Francis.
In the first edition, readers can find new ideas and perspectives on the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty and no-first-use of nuclear weapons.
“As is demonstrated in North Korea’s nuclear programme and the latest US Nuclear Posture Review under the Trump administration, nobody can evade this issue. By launching J-PAND, we wish to provide an academic platform for promoting nuclear disarmament,” says Fumihiko Yoshida, who serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal.
Seventy-three years ago, an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Located close to the hypocentre, Nagasaki Medical College was totally destroyed. Nearly 900 faculty members, students, and medical workers were killed.
The reconstruction of the college appeared to be an impossible mission. But from the ashes of the atomic wasteland rose the renewed Nagasaki University, which has developed into a world research centre on atomic radiation.
Determined to eliminate nuclear weapons, Nagasaki University established the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition in 2012. It was apparent that former US President Barack Obama’s landmark speech in Prague in April 2009 was a source of inspiration.
The second edition of J-PAND will be published at the end of 2018 and is expected to feature issues such as diversifying nuclear strategies and nuclear risks.
Contacts:
Dr. Hibiki Yamaguchi
Managing Editor
Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament
Nagasaki University
Email: [email protected]