Nuclear ban treaty takes effect, sidestepped by weapons states, Japan

A U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons entered into force Friday with at least 50 signatories having completed their ratification processes by last October, a long-awaited development for atomic bomb survivors and anti-nuclear activists.While participating countries and regions hope that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will provide a boost for the global nuclear disarmament movement, the launch of the historic international agreement has been marred by the absence of nuclear weapons states as well as Japan, the only country that has suffered the devastation of atomic bombing…READ FULL ARTICLE