High school students acting as peace ambassadors attend a disarmament conference held at the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva on Aug. 22. They were not allowed to give their speech against nuclear weapons. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
China blocked Japanese high school students acting as peace ambassadors from giving their annual anti-nuclear weapons speech at a U.N. disarmament event, according to Japanese government sources.
Beijing requested that Tokyo stop the students from delivering the speech at the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva, the sources said.
It is the first time the anti-nuclear speech has not been delivered since it started in August 2014.
Twenty-two senior high school students attended the event after being chosen by the Japanese Foreign Ministry as special youth diplomats.