Chairperson of Pugwash Conferences shares details of international meeting in Nagasaki in November
Apr. 2, 2015
by Jumpei Fujimura, Staff Writer
In connection with the international meeting of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, to be held in Nagasaki this November, Tatsujiro Suzuki, the chairperson of the council committee and the vice director of Nagasaki University’s Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, was interviewed at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on March 23. The Pugwash Conferences is a global organization comprised of scientists seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons. In the interview, Mr. Suzuki made an appeal for raising awareness of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons further through dialogues with atomic bomb survivors and discussions involving the denuclearization of Northeast Asia.
Mr. Suzuki talked about the significance of holding the meeting in an A-bombed city, and pointed out that many of the meeting participants have never visited Nagasaki or Hiroshima and that it is important to hold discussions with the viewpoint of the survivors in mind. He added that the theme of the meeting will be “From Nagasaki after 70 Years: Call for a Nuclear-Free World, the Abolition of War, and the Recovery of Humanity (tentative).”
Mr. Suzuki also stressed that the meeting should discuss the risks associated with the latest science and technology and the responsibilities that scientists should take based on the lessons learned from the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi (No. 1) nuclear power plant. He demonstrated his eagerness to carry out discussions that are both rational and mindful of our humanity.
Around 200 scientists from some 40 countries (including 30 Japanese scientists) will take part in the meeting. The results of the five-day event will be compiled as the Nagasaki Declaration. While the discussions will be closed to the public, the keynote speech as well as some dialogues and panel discussions will be open to the public. This will be the third international meeting of the Pugwash Conferences to take place in Japan, with the previous gathering held in Hiroshima in 2005. It will be the first such meeting in Nagasaki.
(Originally published on March 24, 2015)
In connection with the international meeting of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, to be held in Nagasaki this November, Tatsujiro Suzuki, the chairperson of the council committee and the vice director of Nagasaki University’s Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, was interviewed at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on March 23. The Pugwash Conferences is a global organization comprised of scientists seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons. In the interview, Mr. Suzuki made an appeal for raising awareness of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons further through dialogues with atomic bomb survivors and discussions involving the denuclearization of Northeast Asia.
Mr. Suzuki talked about the significance of holding the meeting in an A-bombed city, and pointed out that many of the meeting participants have never visited Nagasaki or Hiroshima and that it is important to hold discussions with the viewpoint of the survivors in mind. He added that the theme of the meeting will be “From Nagasaki after 70 Years: Call for a Nuclear-Free World, the Abolition of War, and the Recovery of Humanity (tentative).”
Mr. Suzuki also stressed that the meeting should discuss the risks associated with the latest science and technology and the responsibilities that scientists should take based on the lessons learned from the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi (No. 1) nuclear power plant. He demonstrated his eagerness to carry out discussions that are both rational and mindful of our humanity.
Around 200 scientists from some 40 countries (including 30 Japanese scientists) will take part in the meeting. The results of the five-day event will be compiled as the Nagasaki Declaration. While the discussions will be closed to the public, the keynote speech as well as some dialogues and panel discussions will be open to the public. This will be the third international meeting of the Pugwash Conferences to take place in Japan, with the previous gathering held in Hiroshima in 2005. It will be the first such meeting in Nagasaki.
(Originally published on March 24, 2015)
