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Nagasaki conferences end with appeals for nuclear abolition and elimination of nuclear energy

by Jumpei Fujimura, Staff Writer

Parallel nuclear abolition conferences, both termed the World Conference Against A & H Bombs, ended their proceedings in Nagasaki on August 9 with closing events. One conference was organized mainly by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo), while the other was held by the Japan Congress Against A- and H- Bombs (Gensuikin) and its affiliated organizations.

The closing assembly by Gensuikyo and its partners was held at Citizens Hall. According to the organizers, about 7,000 people attended the gathering. The participants passed a resolution to put the inhumanity of nuclear weapons at the heart of their appeal for nuclear abolition. They expressed determination to accelerate action in the international community by vowing to convey the reality of the atomic bombings more broadly, hand-in-hand with A-bomb survivors.

Masakazu Yasui, the secretary general of Gensuikyo and a member of the conference’s executive committee, stated, “The abolition of nuclear weapons is a life-or-death battle for human beings,” and he urged stronger efforts be made in petition drives.

Meanwhile, Gensuikin and its affiliated organizations held their own closing assembly at the Nagasaki Prefectural Gymnasium. According to the organizers, about 2,000 people took part in the gathering. Kiyokazu Konishi, the vice president of Gensuikin who also served as the vice president of the conference’s executive committee, stressed, “We must have confidence and pride in our actions as we pursue the elimination of nuclear energy.”

In their declaration, the participants pledged to strengthen their efforts to abolish not only nuclear weapons, but nuclear energy as well. They also repeated their demand for compensation from the Japanese government, saying that “Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima have suffered as a result of foolish deeds that have undermined the dignity of life.” After the gathering, the participants staged a demonstration, marching about 1.2 kilometers to Hypocenter Park.

Commentary: Nuclear abolition conferences point up importance of maintaining collective strength

by Jumpei Fujimura, Staff Writer

The two nuclear abolition conferences which closed on August 9 in Nagasaki, both headlined “The World Conference Against A & H Bombs,” showed a clear contrast in their orientation. One conference, organized mainly by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) focused on the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, while the other conference, held by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin) and its affiliated organizations, emphasized the elimination of nuclear power. Both conferences exposed challenges that the participants must now address and overcome to advance their aims.

Gensuikyo and its partners stressed the inhumanity of the atomic bombings carried out by the United States 68 years ago, asserting, “The atomic bombings did not permit people to die as human beings nor survive as human beings.” Responding to a growing trend in the international community, they put the inhumanity of nuclear weapons at the core of the conference meetings, forums, and workshops.

Government representatives and peace organizations from a total of 20 nations took part in Gensuikyo’s international conference. Kunikazu Noguchi, a member of the conference’s executive committee, was pleased with the event, saying that there is now unity among nations in the argument being made for abolition. Although there are still differences when it comes to national interests and conflicts, no nation can deny the suffering that nuclear weapons produce.

This focus, however, cannot only look outward on the world. Japan itself, the A-bombed nation, declined to back “a joint declaration on the effects of nuclear weapons on humanity” that was issued not long ago at the Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). Conference participants must ponder ways to help change the Japanese government’s stance.

Meanwhile, Gensuikin and its affiliates have sharpened their demand to eliminate the use of nuclear energy.

Participants from areas where nuclear power stations are located made a vigorous protest, including launching petition drives, when four electric power companies applied for security reviews in July with the aim of restarting operations at their nuclear plants. This is the third time the conference opened in the city of Fukushima. Fueled by the words of the late Ichiro Moritaki, former president of Gensuikin—“Human beings cannot coexist with nuclear power or nuclear weapons”—bringing an end to nuclear energy has taken root as a core principle of their campaign.

Conference participants also expressed the view that Japan’s nuclear policy is also undermining the goal of abolishing nuclear weapons. Yasunari Fujimoto, the secretary general for the conference, made the case that the nation’s nuclear fuel cycle, where plutonium is extracted from spent fuel and reused at nuclear plants “threatens the security of our neighbors and helps encourage nuclear proliferation.”

However, stressing the elimination of nuclear energy has produced a rift in joint efforts with the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC) and the National Council for Peace and Against Nuclear Weapons (KAKKIN). A peace conference which had formerly been co-sponsored by Gensuikin and KAKKIN was no longer organized as a shared endeavor. As KAKKIN supports the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the three organizations were unable to overcome this difference of opinion, despite holding the same goal of abolishing nuclear arms. Voices, though, continue to call for the organizations to mend fences and reunite. Ways to avoid such splits, and maintain the collective strength of the movement, must be sought.

(Originally published on August 10, 2013)

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