Hiroshima observes 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing tomorrow
Aug. 5, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
On August 6, the city of Hiroshima will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing as roughly 23,000 nuclear weapons across the earth continue to threaten humankind, the world has begun to embrace a commitment and course to the abolition of these weapons, and aging A-bomb survivors feel a mix of frustration and hope.
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which is convened every five years, was held in New York this past May. The final document adopted at this conference mentioned, for the first time ever, the idea of a nuclear weapons convention to outlaw nuclear arms. Under current circumstances, in which the NPT alone cannot effect further progress with regard to nuclear disarmament and no prospects are present for ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), hopes are now pinned to a nuclear weapons convention as a way forward.
A nuclear weapons convention is being championed by the A-bombed cities, civil society, and some governments that view nuclear arms not as pawns of power but as the very extreme of inhumanity. The longtime appeal of the A-bomb survivors, that human beings and nuclear weapons cannot coexist, has at last begun to permeate the world.
At the same time, the international community, including the Middle East and South Asia regions, has yet to find the means of extricating itself from the vicious cycle of "matching nuclear weapon for nuclear weapon." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will attend this year's Peace Memorial Ceremony, asserted last month that the only way to protect against nuclear weapons is by eliminating them entirely. Also attending the ceremony, for the first time ever, will be government representatives from the United States, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the United Kingdom, and France. All nations of the world should squarely face the legacy of Hiroshima.
And what of Japan, which should be spearheading efforts for nuclear abolition? In his Peace Declaration, to be delivered at the ceremony, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba will call on the government to abandon the U.S. nuclear umbrella and enshrine the nation's three non-nuclear principles into law.
As of the end of March, the average age of the A-bomb survivors has reached 76.73 years and those who hold the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate number 227,565. An association of A-bomb survivors, who clean local monuments each summer, have taken the step of holding a ceremony this year to pray for the spirits of the members of their group who are passing away. At the ceremony, the members set up a tower to console the souls of the victims and decorated it with white orchids. "We may not be able to hold a ceremony on the 70th anniversary of the bombing," one said, alluding to their advancing age.
U.S. President Barack Obama, 49, who has advocated nuclear abolition, said, "This goal will not be reached quickly -- perhaps not in my lifetime." Meanwhile, the A-bomb survivors hope that nuclear weapons will be abolished while they are still alive. Now is the time for humanity to show resolve and move forward for nuclear abolition.
(Originally published on August 5, 2010)
On August 6, the city of Hiroshima will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing as roughly 23,000 nuclear weapons across the earth continue to threaten humankind, the world has begun to embrace a commitment and course to the abolition of these weapons, and aging A-bomb survivors feel a mix of frustration and hope.
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which is convened every five years, was held in New York this past May. The final document adopted at this conference mentioned, for the first time ever, the idea of a nuclear weapons convention to outlaw nuclear arms. Under current circumstances, in which the NPT alone cannot effect further progress with regard to nuclear disarmament and no prospects are present for ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), hopes are now pinned to a nuclear weapons convention as a way forward.
A nuclear weapons convention is being championed by the A-bombed cities, civil society, and some governments that view nuclear arms not as pawns of power but as the very extreme of inhumanity. The longtime appeal of the A-bomb survivors, that human beings and nuclear weapons cannot coexist, has at last begun to permeate the world.
At the same time, the international community, including the Middle East and South Asia regions, has yet to find the means of extricating itself from the vicious cycle of "matching nuclear weapon for nuclear weapon." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will attend this year's Peace Memorial Ceremony, asserted last month that the only way to protect against nuclear weapons is by eliminating them entirely. Also attending the ceremony, for the first time ever, will be government representatives from the United States, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the United Kingdom, and France. All nations of the world should squarely face the legacy of Hiroshima.
And what of Japan, which should be spearheading efforts for nuclear abolition? In his Peace Declaration, to be delivered at the ceremony, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba will call on the government to abandon the U.S. nuclear umbrella and enshrine the nation's three non-nuclear principles into law.
As of the end of March, the average age of the A-bomb survivors has reached 76.73 years and those who hold the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate number 227,565. An association of A-bomb survivors, who clean local monuments each summer, have taken the step of holding a ceremony this year to pray for the spirits of the members of their group who are passing away. At the ceremony, the members set up a tower to console the souls of the victims and decorated it with white orchids. "We may not be able to hold a ceremony on the 70th anniversary of the bombing," one said, alluding to their advancing age.
U.S. President Barack Obama, 49, who has advocated nuclear abolition, said, "This goal will not be reached quickly -- perhaps not in my lifetime." Meanwhile, the A-bomb survivors hope that nuclear weapons will be abolished while they are still alive. Now is the time for humanity to show resolve and move forward for nuclear abolition.
(Originally published on August 5, 2010)
