World conference seeks to rouse public opinion for abolition
Aug. 4, 2010
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer
On August 3, discussions continued at the 2010 World Conference against A & H Bombs, which is being held by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs and other entities. At meetings held at venues such as the Hiroshima City Bunka Koryu Kaikan, opinions were voiced that the reality of the atomic bombings and the wishes of survivors be made more widely known in order to generate a groundswell of public opinion supporting the elimination of nuclear weapons.
In the morning, another plenary session was held following the previous day's program. Setsuko Thurlow, 78, a Hiroshima A-bomb survivor who lives in Canada, appealed to the audience, saying, "Human beings and nuclear weapons cannot coexist. I hope this sentiment of the survivors will continue to be communicated and understood by the world."
Rikito Watanabe, director of the Hibakusha Counseling Agency of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, which is chaired by Kazushi Kaneko, argued that more attention should be paid to the powerful effects of internal exposure from residual radiation and radioactive fallout.
In the afternoon, discussion meetings were held on three different themes. In one of the meetings, in which discussion was held on policies for a nuclear weapon-free world, 32 people from six nations made speeches. They presented an array of approaches such as fostering a citizens' movement to overcome the logic of nuclear deterrence and inviting U.S. President Barack Obama to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki when he travels to Japan in November.
(Originally published on August 4, 2010)
Related article
"Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs" opens world conference in Hiroshima (Aug. 3, 2010)
On August 3, discussions continued at the 2010 World Conference against A & H Bombs, which is being held by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs and other entities. At meetings held at venues such as the Hiroshima City Bunka Koryu Kaikan, opinions were voiced that the reality of the atomic bombings and the wishes of survivors be made more widely known in order to generate a groundswell of public opinion supporting the elimination of nuclear weapons.
In the morning, another plenary session was held following the previous day's program. Setsuko Thurlow, 78, a Hiroshima A-bomb survivor who lives in Canada, appealed to the audience, saying, "Human beings and nuclear weapons cannot coexist. I hope this sentiment of the survivors will continue to be communicated and understood by the world."
Rikito Watanabe, director of the Hibakusha Counseling Agency of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, which is chaired by Kazushi Kaneko, argued that more attention should be paid to the powerful effects of internal exposure from residual radiation and radioactive fallout.
In the afternoon, discussion meetings were held on three different themes. In one of the meetings, in which discussion was held on policies for a nuclear weapon-free world, 32 people from six nations made speeches. They presented an array of approaches such as fostering a citizens' movement to overcome the logic of nuclear deterrence and inviting U.S. President Barack Obama to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki when he travels to Japan in November.
(Originally published on August 4, 2010)
Related article
"Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs" opens world conference in Hiroshima (Aug. 3, 2010)
