Former Israeli official says atomic bombings were “consequence of Japanese aggression”
Aug. 21, 2013
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer
Daniel Seaman, a former senior official of the Israeli government, has made remarks online that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States were “the consequence of Japanese aggression.” On August 16, when the news surfaced, people in Hiroshima responded with outrage.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, 71, secretary general of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi, denounced Mr. Seaman’s comment, saying “I cannot contain my anger.” He lamented, “Many innocent people became victims of the atomic bombings. That man doesn’t understand the suffering of the A-bomb survivors.”
Israel is a de facto nuclear weapon state which has not joined the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). Yukio Yoshioka, 84, vice chairman of the other faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Kazushi Kaneko, responded, “It horrifies me that this is the way of thinking of a former senior official of a nuclear weapon state.” He added, referring to the impasse involving the denuclearization of the Middle East, “People must understand the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and be proactive in pursuing their abolition.”
In his online remarks, Mr. Seaman also dismissed the Peace Memorial Ceremonies held by the Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying that he was “sick of self-righteous commemorations.” An official of the City of Hiroshima countered, “His comment is completely different from the intention of Hiroshima. As this is simply one person’s opinion, it doesn’t even deserve a response.”
(Originally published on August 17, 2013)
Daniel Seaman, a former senior official of the Israeli government, has made remarks online that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States were “the consequence of Japanese aggression.” On August 16, when the news surfaced, people in Hiroshima responded with outrage.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, 71, secretary general of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi, denounced Mr. Seaman’s comment, saying “I cannot contain my anger.” He lamented, “Many innocent people became victims of the atomic bombings. That man doesn’t understand the suffering of the A-bomb survivors.”
Israel is a de facto nuclear weapon state which has not joined the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). Yukio Yoshioka, 84, vice chairman of the other faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Kazushi Kaneko, responded, “It horrifies me that this is the way of thinking of a former senior official of a nuclear weapon state.” He added, referring to the impasse involving the denuclearization of the Middle East, “People must understand the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and be proactive in pursuing their abolition.”
In his online remarks, Mr. Seaman also dismissed the Peace Memorial Ceremonies held by the Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying that he was “sick of self-righteous commemorations.” An official of the City of Hiroshima countered, “His comment is completely different from the intention of Hiroshima. As this is simply one person’s opinion, it doesn’t even deserve a response.”
(Originally published on August 17, 2013)
