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A-bomb survivors look forward to visit by foreign ministers to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer

On November 25, it was learned that the foreign ministers from three nuclear weapon states, including the United States, will visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward next April. They are scheduled to come to Hiroshima at that time to participate in the meeting of foreign ministers that will take place ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit). A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima responded by saying that such a visit was only natural since the ministers will be in the A-bombed city. They expressed hopes that this visit could lead to more timely action to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons.

“Their visit is an important opportunity for us to convey the damage caused by the atomic bombing to policy makers from the nuclear nations,” Toshiyuki Mimaki said. Mr. Mimaki, 73, the vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (chaired by Sunao Tsuboi), welcomes the fact that the foreign ministers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France are planning to visit the Peace Memorial Park. “I would like them to spare enough time to offer flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and see the Peace Memorial Museum so they can gain a deeper understanding of the atomic bombing,” he said.

When the Lower House Speakers from the G8 nations met in Hiroshima in 2008, there was a symbolic scene in which the speakers from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia joined hands in front of the Cenotaph. Once the Japanese government decided this past June that next year’s meeting of foreign ministers would be held in Hiroshima, the City of Hiroshima requested that Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs create opportunities for the participants to grasp the damage wrought by nuclear weapons by, among other actions, visiting the Peace Memorial Museum and listening to the accounts of A-bomb survivors.

The Japanese government, which then called for the foreign ministers to visit the Peace Memorial Park, is seeking to create a favorable environment at the meeting in Hiroshima to help realize a visit to the A-bombed city by U.S. President Barack Obama and other participants in conjunction with next May’s Ise Shima summit.

Kunihiko Sakuma, 71, the chair of the other Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), expressed his desire for action, saying, “It won’t make any sense unless their visit can lead to greater action for nuclear disarmament.” Referring to current conditions in the world, which have grown increasingly unstable, Mr. Sakuma said, “We’re now more concerned that, under such conditions, the nuclear powers may resort to nuclear arms. In this respect, the foreign ministers from these nations shoulder tremendous responsibility.”

However, at this month’s First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which focuses on disarmament issues, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France abstained from voting for the adoption of the resolution against nuclear arms sponsored by Japan. The resolution included language urging policy makers to come to the A-bombed city. Their choice to abstain seems to be influenced by the fact that they are wary of the growing controversy over the inhumanity of nuclear arms. Yasuyoshi Komizo, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, said, “Having the foreign ministers understand the A-bomb damage could be an important step at times like these. As the host of the gathering, we must do our best so that this visit by the foreign ministers can motivate them to create a world free of nuclear weapons and promote discussion on security measures that do not depend on nuclear deterrence as well as the means to advance nuclear disarmament.”

(Originally published on November 26, 2015)

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