Nihon Hidankyo asks Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote nuclear abolition
Jun. 10, 2013
by Junpei Fujimura, Staff Writer
On June 6, Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb sufferers Organizations) issued requests to the relevant ministries and agencies for sweeping revision of the A-bomb disease certification system and the elimination of nuclear power.
Terumi Tanaka, secretary general of Hidankyo, along with five staff members met behind closed doors with Mitsuru Kitano, director-general of the Non-proliferation and Science Department at the Foreign Ministry. Mr. Tanaka formally presented a letter of request to Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (elected from District One in Hiroshima), which calls for Japan to aggressively support multilateral statements regarding the inhumanity of nuclear weapons.
After the meeting, Mr. Tanaka stated, “We were told that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is open to endorsing such statements if asked to do so by a country or group of countries. We will watch very carefully how they handle the next one.”
Twenty members of Nihon Hidankyo visited the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to request a new “A-bomb Survivors Allowance,” which Hidankyo has proposed.
At meetings with members of the National Assembly of Democratic Party of Japan, New Komeito, People’s Life Party, Japanese Communist Party, and Social Democratic Party, they requested steadfast protection of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and complete elimination of nuclear power.
(Originally published on June 7, 2013)
On June 6, Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb sufferers Organizations) issued requests to the relevant ministries and agencies for sweeping revision of the A-bomb disease certification system and the elimination of nuclear power.
Terumi Tanaka, secretary general of Hidankyo, along with five staff members met behind closed doors with Mitsuru Kitano, director-general of the Non-proliferation and Science Department at the Foreign Ministry. Mr. Tanaka formally presented a letter of request to Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (elected from District One in Hiroshima), which calls for Japan to aggressively support multilateral statements regarding the inhumanity of nuclear weapons.
After the meeting, Mr. Tanaka stated, “We were told that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is open to endorsing such statements if asked to do so by a country or group of countries. We will watch very carefully how they handle the next one.”
Twenty members of Nihon Hidankyo visited the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to request a new “A-bomb Survivors Allowance,” which Hidankyo has proposed.
At meetings with members of the National Assembly of Democratic Party of Japan, New Komeito, People’s Life Party, Japanese Communist Party, and Social Democratic Party, they requested steadfast protection of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and complete elimination of nuclear power.
(Originally published on June 7, 2013)
