Japan PM, pope discuss nuclear arms after North Korea test launch

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Mr. Kishida said the North’s actions that “threaten the peace, safety and stability of the international community are impermissible.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and Italian Premier Mario Draghi attend a press point at Chigi Palace government office in Rome, on May 4, 2022. Kishida is in Italy and the Vatican, where he met Pope Francis, as part of a six-nation overseas trip. | Photo Credit: AP

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Pope Francis and top Vatican officials in talks on Wednesday about the need for “a world free of nuclear weapons”, the Vatican said.

The meeting came as nuclear-armed Russia pressed its war in Ukraine and after North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters and vowed to speed up the development of its own nuclear arsenal.

Mr. Kishida and the Pope spoke privately for about 25 minutes.

In a statement, the Vatican said the talks touched on bilateral and international relations “with particular attention to the war in Ukraine, stressing the urgency of dialogue and peace and expressing the hope, to this end, for a world free of nuclear weapons”.