Hiroshima delegation for NPT conference holds meeting, pledges to appeal for nuclear abolition
Mar. 25, 2015
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
In connection with the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will open in New York on April 27, a meeting for the delegation that will represent the Hiroshima Prefectural Chapter of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) was held in Higashi Ward on March 18. The participants pledged to highlight the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons to the world with the aim of advancing the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The delegation is composed of 31 people between the ages of 11 and 74, including two A-bomb survivors and eight second- or third-generation survivors. They will be in the United States for nine days, starting on April 24, and their plans include delivering about 120,000 signatures appealing for a total ban on nuclear arms to the United Nations. They will also emphasize the reality of the damage caused by the atomic bombings to delegations from other nations and take part in antinuclear activities.
About 60 people, including the members of the delegation, attended the meeting and chose Kunihiko Sakuma, the vice chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, led by Acting Chairman Kazuo Okoshi, to head the delegation. The members of the group expressed their determination by saying that they would convey the messages of the A-bomb survivors at a violent time in the world and actively share the A-bombed city of Hiroshima with others, even on the streets. Saho Shinjo, 19, a first-year student at Hiroshima City University and a resident of Asaminami Ward, said, “I would like to exchange views with young people there and convey to them that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil. I’ll also bring back what I learn and urge people of my generation to take an interest in peace issues.”
(Originally published on March 19, 2015)
In connection with the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will open in New York on April 27, a meeting for the delegation that will represent the Hiroshima Prefectural Chapter of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) was held in Higashi Ward on March 18. The participants pledged to highlight the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons to the world with the aim of advancing the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The delegation is composed of 31 people between the ages of 11 and 74, including two A-bomb survivors and eight second- or third-generation survivors. They will be in the United States for nine days, starting on April 24, and their plans include delivering about 120,000 signatures appealing for a total ban on nuclear arms to the United Nations. They will also emphasize the reality of the damage caused by the atomic bombings to delegations from other nations and take part in antinuclear activities.
About 60 people, including the members of the delegation, attended the meeting and chose Kunihiko Sakuma, the vice chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, led by Acting Chairman Kazuo Okoshi, to head the delegation. The members of the group expressed their determination by saying that they would convey the messages of the A-bomb survivors at a violent time in the world and actively share the A-bombed city of Hiroshima with others, even on the streets. Saho Shinjo, 19, a first-year student at Hiroshima City University and a resident of Asaminami Ward, said, “I would like to exchange views with young people there and convey to them that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil. I’ll also bring back what I learn and urge people of my generation to take an interest in peace issues.”
(Originally published on March 19, 2015)
