800 gather in Shizuoka prior to Bikini Day
Mar. 18, 2016
by Kazuaki Yamamoto, Staff Writer
Prior to the March 1 observance of Bikini Day, the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) held a national gathering in the city of Shizuoka on February 29. On March 1, 62 years ago, the crew members of a fishing boat from Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, called the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (The Lucky Dragon No. 5), were exposed to radioactive fallout from a hydrogen bomb test conducted by the United States.
With about 800 people taking part, Masakazu Yasui, the secretary general of Gensuikyo, stressed, “The ban-the-bomb movement, which rose in response to the Bikini Incident, has played an important role in protecting Article 9 of the Constitution and the three non-nuclear principles.” He urged the participants to “raise your voices with the A-bomb survivors for the abolition of nuclear weapons” to promote the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention.
Sueichi Kido, the deputy secretary general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), stepped up to the podium, too, and explained that the organization will pursue a signature drive for the abolition of nuclear arms. Mr. Kido called on the participants to help with this effort, saying, “We must realize the abolition of nuclear weapons while the A-bomb survivors are still alive.”
At a workshop, Tony de Brum, the former minister of foreign affairs of the Marshall Islands, who led the filing of a lawsuit against nine nuclear powers at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), touched on his personal experience of witnessing a nuclear test. Mr. de Brum said such incidents deprive people of their human dignity and that he hopes the citizens of the world will join hands and take action to abolish nuclear weapons.
On March 1, a Bikini Day rally will be held by the World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, with the participation of Gensuikyo, in the city of Yaizu, and the Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin) will hold a rally in the city of Shizuoka.
(Originally published on Mach 1, 2016)
Prior to the March 1 observance of Bikini Day, the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) held a national gathering in the city of Shizuoka on February 29. On March 1, 62 years ago, the crew members of a fishing boat from Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, called the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (The Lucky Dragon No. 5), were exposed to radioactive fallout from a hydrogen bomb test conducted by the United States.
With about 800 people taking part, Masakazu Yasui, the secretary general of Gensuikyo, stressed, “The ban-the-bomb movement, which rose in response to the Bikini Incident, has played an important role in protecting Article 9 of the Constitution and the three non-nuclear principles.” He urged the participants to “raise your voices with the A-bomb survivors for the abolition of nuclear weapons” to promote the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention.
Sueichi Kido, the deputy secretary general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), stepped up to the podium, too, and explained that the organization will pursue a signature drive for the abolition of nuclear arms. Mr. Kido called on the participants to help with this effort, saying, “We must realize the abolition of nuclear weapons while the A-bomb survivors are still alive.”
At a workshop, Tony de Brum, the former minister of foreign affairs of the Marshall Islands, who led the filing of a lawsuit against nine nuclear powers at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), touched on his personal experience of witnessing a nuclear test. Mr. de Brum said such incidents deprive people of their human dignity and that he hopes the citizens of the world will join hands and take action to abolish nuclear weapons.
On March 1, a Bikini Day rally will be held by the World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, with the participation of Gensuikyo, in the city of Yaizu, and the Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin) will hold a rally in the city of Shizuoka.
(Originally published on Mach 1, 2016)
