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IPPNW regional conference closes after discussing denuclearization of Northeast Asia

by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer

The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) closed its North Asia Regional Conference at the building of the Hiroshima Prefectural Medical Association on February 28. The participants discussed ideas to denuclearize Northeast Asia, among other topics. The two-day conference ended after adopting the Hiroshima Declaration at the closing ceremony. The declaration emphasizes the importance of healthcare professionals being involved in research on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and disseminating information.

The declaration was read out by Keiichi Hiramatsu, the president of the Japan branch of the IPPNW and the president of the Hiroshima Prefectural Medical Association, and the audience responded with applause. The declaration describes the situation in which the nuclear powers have not agreed to enter into negotiations for a legal ban on nuclear weapons and urges Japan to lead this discussion. To encourage nations to take action, the conference said it will contribute to the analysis of the impact of the use of nuclear weapons, nuclear tests, and nuclear accidents to human health, lives, society, and the environment, and will dispatch this information to the world.

During the conference, Sereeter Galsanjamts, the director of a Mongolian anti-nuclear non-governmental organization, delivered a speech. Mr. Galsanjamts urged that Japan engage in dialogue with North Korea for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Mongolia has adopted a one-state Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone status. Another speech was made by a relative of Tomin Harada, a doctor in Hiroshima who worked hard to provide treatment for A-bomb survivors’ keloid scars and furthered the cause of peace.

The IPPNW North Asia Regional Conference began in 1997 and seeks to deepen mutual understanding among the countries in this region for the elimination of nuclear weapons. The conference meets every two years, and the next conference is planned for 2018 in Mongolia.

(Originally published on February 29, 2016)

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