Hiroshima resident to appeal for nuclear abolition at U.N. General Assembly
Oct. 7, 2013
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
The Hiroshima Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs and the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Kazushi Kaneko, announced on October 2 that they will dispatch Mitsue Furuta, 66, a resident of Minami Ward, to the First Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, which deals with disarmament issues, and opens in New York City on October 4. Ms. Furuta is a second-generation survivor of the Hiroshima bombing and vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations. As a member of the delegation of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, she will appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons to U.N. representatives from around the world.
Ms. Furuta will be overseas from October 6 to 14, observing meetings and submitting the signatures of about 350,000 people to U.N. officials to call for the realization of a nuclear weapons convention. She will also meet with representatives of member states and peace organizations.
Ms. Furuta’s father is an A-bomb survivor. Since retiring in 2006, she has become involved in various outreach activities, including serving as a guide to monuments dedicated to the A-bomb victims. Prior to her departure, Ms. Furuta commented at a press conference held at city hall on October 2: “My father often told me about the horror of the atomic bombing. I will try to convey the horrific consequences of the atomic bombing to as many people as possible.”
Within the international community, there is now a growing movement to emphasize the inhumanity of nuclear weapons. “I would like the government of Japan, the nation which suffered the atomic bombings, to exercise leadership in U.N. discussions,” Ms. Furuta said.
(Originally published on October 3, 2013)
The Hiroshima Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs and the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Kazushi Kaneko, announced on October 2 that they will dispatch Mitsue Furuta, 66, a resident of Minami Ward, to the First Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, which deals with disarmament issues, and opens in New York City on October 4. Ms. Furuta is a second-generation survivor of the Hiroshima bombing and vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations. As a member of the delegation of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, she will appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons to U.N. representatives from around the world.
Ms. Furuta will be overseas from October 6 to 14, observing meetings and submitting the signatures of about 350,000 people to U.N. officials to call for the realization of a nuclear weapons convention. She will also meet with representatives of member states and peace organizations.
Ms. Furuta’s father is an A-bomb survivor. Since retiring in 2006, she has become involved in various outreach activities, including serving as a guide to monuments dedicated to the A-bomb victims. Prior to her departure, Ms. Furuta commented at a press conference held at city hall on October 2: “My father often told me about the horror of the atomic bombing. I will try to convey the horrific consequences of the atomic bombing to as many people as possible.”
Within the international community, there is now a growing movement to emphasize the inhumanity of nuclear weapons. “I would like the government of Japan, the nation which suffered the atomic bombings, to exercise leadership in U.N. discussions,” Ms. Furuta said.
(Originally published on October 3, 2013)
