BY HIROAKI KONNO

Since it only costs 300 yen to produce one landmine , they have been used for a long time in various wars. At present, about 70 million landmines are hidden and waiting silently in the earth. And the number of landmines that are on stock and ready to use is about 110 million. Many antipersonnel mines or antitank mines which were used in World War ��and the Vietnam War are still in place. Even now, millions of landmines are planted underground wherever violence is used in the struggle for power, or when conflicts break out because of differences of religions or cultures.

For example, take the Republic of Angola, which is located in the southwest of Africa. Angola was split between pro-U.S. and pro-USSR factions which had the military support of both countries resulting in civil war until recently. As a consequence, 60 percent of the country was transformed into landmine fields. Even today, not soldiers but civilians are killed or injured by landmine explosions about ten times everyday despite of the end of conflicts. And the fear of having an arm or leg blown off exists in other many countries.

In order to break the present situation, NGO's and various private groups are dealing with removal projects. To accomplish the clearance 100 percent, it must be done by hand. Workers look for landmines using metal detectors. But as it detects all metals under the earth, the average detection rate is about one-in-one hundred and twenty-nine. Clearing landmines is very hard and boring work. Another way to clear them is to have big dozers dig the earth, which then causes the mines to go off. However, even though the present clearance rate is about one hundred thousand a year, it will take about seven hundred years to completely eliminate all of them.

Japan also produces about 1 million landmines each year, which can be used at anytime. All of these landmines are used by the Self Defence Forces. But Japan has never used any landmines since World War ��. Moreover, Japan follows the three-point rule for the export of arms. That's why Japan imposes a flat ban on the export of arms. Throughout the world, the International committee of the Red Cross and the NGO's warned of the dangers of landmines beginning from the late 1980's and the early1990's. In consequence, ''The treaty for a flat-ban on antipersonnel mines <Ottawa treaty >'' came true. And the countries which supported it, along with the NGO's, began the ''The process of Ottawa'' that has been aiming at the elimination of conventional weapons. Japan also signed the treaty, so she will have had to sweep about 1 million landmines by 2003. 　

Nothing is more delightful than the conclusion of such a treaty. But there are two serious problems at present. First, there are some countries which are using landmines in spite of signing the Ottawa treaty. For example, these are Angola, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau. Second, the treaty isn't signed by America, Russia, North Korea, and so on. In the case of America, she thinks if she should clear the landmines around the military borderline of the Korean Peninsula, North Korea would invade South Korea. That's why America doesn't sign it.

As stated above, to settle the problem of landmines and clear them as early as possible will take about seven-hundred years. The money needed to help remove them and the cooperation of each country is being sought after, as well as a ban on production and further use of landmines. It is most important for each government to have a broad vision. 　

The landmine is called "weapon of mass destruction in slow motion." It is a fact that farmers and children who play outdoors and who don't pose any threat are most often the victims. First of all, we should know the facts well. To know the fear and have the knowledge about landmines can bring the cruelty of wars home to us. That is, we can recognize our mistakes of the past. Even though various civil wars are going on at present, one of the most important things for us to do is clear the landmines.