Japan has formally accepted an international treaty banning cluster bombs, becoming the 14th signatory in the world.

Japan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Yukio Takasu, notified the UN of the decision on Tuesday.

About 100 countries, including Japan, signed the treaty in December. The agreement is designed to ban cluster bombs that scatter hundreds of smaller munitions and cause civilian casualties long after conflicts end.

The treaty will take effect when 16 more countries become signatories. Ambassador Takasu told reporters that the Japanese government will urge other nations to ratify the treaty as soon as possible.

But some experts are skeptical about the treaty's effectiveness, because the United States, Russia, China and other countries with large stockpiles of cluster bombs have not signed the treaty.

Back