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World Conference against Atomic & Hydrogen Bombs opens, appeals for end to nuclear weapons and nuclear energy

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

On July 30, the World Conference of the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin) and other organizations opened in Fukushima, Japan. With people continuing to suffer from the consequences of the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, the participants of the conference adopted a statement appealing for a world without nuclear energy or nuclear weapons. The conference will run until August 9, with the venue changing from Fukushima to Hiroshima to Nagasaki.

According to the organizers, 750 people have gathered for the event at the Fukushima Prefectural Education Hall. Koichi Kawano, the chairman of Gensuikin and head of the executive committee for the conference, made the opening remarks. He said, “The sufferers of the nuclear accident in Fukushima are still unable to return to their towns. Meanwhile, the mental trauma of the survivors of the atomic bombings hasn’t healed. Let us say no to any use of nuclear power and make our world a peaceful place.”

Claudia Roth, the vice president of the German Federal Diet, spoke as a guest from overseas. She said that Japan is blessed with abundant nature that can be used to create renewable energy and that the Japanese government should take the lead in steering the country toward a safe supply of electric power. Other participants, including a doctor and a high school student from Fukushima, also spoke to the gathering, delivering such messages as “The Japanese government is seeking to restart the nuclear power plants, but there is nowhere to dispose of the nuclear waste” and “We have to communicate the reality of Fukushima so there won’t be another accident at a nuclear power plant.”

The participants then marched through the city center of Fukushima for about two kilometers with calls of “Abolish nuclear weapons!” and “No more nuclear power plants!” The conference will continue in Hiroshima from August 4 to 6, and in Nagasaki from August 7 to 9.

The international conference of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) and other organizations will open in Hiroshima on August 2.

(Originally published on July 31, 2016)

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