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Doctors from 45 nations gather for IPPNW World Congress in Hiroshima

by Kentaro Yamamoto, Staff Writer

The 20th World Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) opened at the International Conference Center Hiroshima in Naka Ward, Hiroshima on August 24. About 500 doctors from 45 countries including Japan will take part in this congress, the first to be held in Hiroshima in 23 years. During the three-day gathering titled “From Hiroshima to Future Generations,” participants will hold discussions on steps to pursue in order to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons.

At the opening ceremony, Keiichi Hiramatsu, president of IPPNW Japan, stated, “We must pass on nuclear weapons’ inherent inhumanity and balefulness, the lessons from the tragic experience of Hiroshima, to young generations.” A message from President Vladimir Putin of Russia, a nuclear state, was also shared, with the Russian leader saying that he hopes swift progress will be made in the area of nuclear disarmament.

After the keynote speech, Tetsuya Oda, 91, from Osaka, and Nobumasa Kimura, 75, from Hiroshima, recounted their A-bomb experiences. The two medical doctors appealed to the participants from a range of nations to make efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons from the world. At a plenary session, a report was made on the results of an international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons. One of the workshops involved the health effects of radiation on the public as a result of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant.

Before the opening of the congress, four of the participants, including Vappu Taipale, the IPPNW co-president from Finland, and Dr. Hiramatsu offered wreaths to the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims.

On August 25, a symposium of physicians who are second-generation A-bomb survivors and a youth summit will be held. At the youth summit, high school students from home and abroad will engage in discussion on the theme of nuclear abolition.

IPPNW was founded in 1980 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. The IPPNW World Congress was held in Hiroshima in 1989, making this the second congress held by the organization in Hiroshima.

Hiroshima is the bastion of our pursuit of peace

Gist of the address by Vappu Taipale, IPPNW Co-President

Hiroshima is a special place for humankind. It is a symbol of the kind of misery nuclear weapons can cause as well as the bastion of our pursuit of peace.

There is no cure for the catastrophic consequences caused by nuclear arms. The only thing we can do is guide people toward a world without them. It is our mission to prevent the use of nuclear weapons and appeal from Hiroshima to stop the development of nuclear arms.

It is now time to join hands and convey our hopes to the world. Realizing a world without nuclear weapons is the only way forward for our future.

(Originally published on August 25, 2012)

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