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International symposium in Hiroshima in July to consider advancing nuclear abolition and handing down A-bomb survivors’ experiences

On July 20, an international symposium titled “The 70th Anniversary Year of the Atomic Bombings – Abolishing Nuclear Weapons and Handing Down the A-bomb Survivors’ Experiences” will take place at the International Conference Center Hiroshima in Naka Ward from 1 p.m. The event is sponsored by Hiroshima City University, the Nagasaki University Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA), and the Chugoku Shimbun.

Amid growing international attention to the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, this spring’s Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is held every five years, failed to reach agreement on the final document. At the symposium, discussion will take place on two topics. The first topic is the challenges involved in abolishing nuclear weapons, which has been highlighted by the outcome of the NPT Review Conference. The second topic concerns handing down the survivors’ accounts of the atomic bombings, a task that must be urgently addressed as this year marks the 70th anniversary and the survivors are advancing in age.

On the subject of nuclear abolition, Mitsuru Kurosawa, a professor at the graduate school of Osaka Jogakuin University and the former president of Japan Association of Disarmament Studies, with expertise in international disarmament law, will give a keynote speech. Mr. Kurosawa will provide insight on steps needed to realize a nuclear weapons convention following a report from Michiko Tanaka, a staff writer from the Chugoku Shimbun who traveled to New York to cover the four-week NPT Review Conference.

The other keynote speech will be made by Tony de Brum, the foreign minister of the Marshall Islands, the nation located in the Pacific Ocean that has filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice against nine nuclear weapon states. Mr. de Brum will stress the inhumanity of nuclear arms, based on his firsthand experience of U.S. nuclear testing in that region.

On the subject of handing down the A-bomb survivors’ experiences, activities and studies with this aim will be presented by high school students who serve as junior writers for the Chugoku Shimbun, students from Nagasaki University, and Taeko Kiriya, a lecturer at the Hiroshima Peace Institute at Hiroshima City University. Ms. Kiriya specializes in the history of recovery in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the postwar period. These presenters have also been working to share the accounts of A-bomb survivors to a global audience. Rounding off the symposium, a panel discussion with six participants, including Mr. Kurosawa, Mr. de Brum, and Ms. Kiriya will engage in in-depth discussion on these two topics.

Admission to the symposium is free and no reservations are required to attend. Simultaneous interpretation is also available. For further information, please call the Hiroshima Peace Institute at 082-830-1811 (on weekdays).

(Originally published on June 25, 2015)

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