Editorial

16:51 JST, July 19, 2025

Six European countries including Ukraine, which is currently subject to aggression from Russia, have decided to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. The direness of their situation is understood, but the setback in the momentum for landmine abolition is deeply concerning.

In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a presidential decree to pull his country out of the convention. This spring, the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Poland and Finland, decided to leave the convention.

The convention prohibits the use, stockpiling and production of anti-personnel mines, among other acts. It entered into force in 1999, and about 160 countries and regions, including Japan, have signed it.

The six countries that have........

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