In a ceremony at Münster's historic town hall, the presidents of the German Physical Society (DPG) and the Physical Society of Japan (JPS) signed a joint declaration against nuclear armament and the use of nuclear weapons. Malte Göttsche, head of the Research Group Science for Nuclear Diplomacy at PRIF, was part of the six-member German-Japanese delegation that drafted the declaration.
After signing the “Declaration for the Future,” scientists were invited to a panel discussion on the topic of “Role and responsibility of scientists in times of disruptive global challenges.” Malte Göttsche discussed this topic with Michiji Konuma, contemporary witness and former president of the JPS, Cornelia Denz, Michael Quante, and Hoji Hashimoto.
The choice of location was deliberately symbolic: the Peace Hall in Münster City Hall, where the Peace of Westphalia was signed in 1648, underscored the historical dimension of the appeal. The declaration emphasizes the urgent need to resolve international conflicts through diplomacy and peaceful means. “We commit ourselves as physicists to contribute to the survival and progress of humanity by promoting the peaceful application of physics,” the document states.
The declaration is supported by over 65,000 members of the DPG and JPS and is available on the DPG and JPS websites.