Six A-bomb survivor groups urge Hiroshima mayor to call on world leaders to sign nuclear weapons ban treaty in Peace Declaration for the first time
Jul. 5, 2019
(by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer)
On July 4, six groups of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, including the two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederations of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), submitted a letter of request to the City of Hiroshima which urges Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui to include text in this year’s Peace Declaration that calls on all governments and political leaders, including those in Japan, to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Mr. Matsui will read out this declaration during the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6. This is the first time that the A-bomb survivor groups have made this request. As Mr. Matsui is reluctant to include words in the Peace Declaration that directly urge the Japanese government to sign and ratify the treaty, the survivor groups are seeking to have the mayor change his mind.
The six groups consist of the two Hiroshima Hidankyo organizations, which are promoting a signature campaign urging world governments to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty, the Committee Seeking Measures for the Korean A-bomb Victims, the Council of Atom-bombed Koreans in Hiroshima, the Hiroshima prefectural labor union congress’s A-bomb survivor group liaison council, and the Hiroshima Alliance of A-bomb Survivor Organizations. The letter of request strongly urges the mayor to call on world leaders to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty in the Peace Declaration in order to promote the abolition of nuclear weapons, the fervent desire of all A-bomb survivors.
On July 4, the representatives of the six A-bomb survivor groups visited Hiroshi Tsumura, the head of the City of Hiroshima’s International Peace Promotion Division at the International Conference Center Hiroshima, in Naka Ward, to submit the letter of request. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, the vice chair of Hiroshima Hidankyo (chaired by Sunao Tsuboi), said, “If the mayor does not clearly include the request for government leaders and politicians to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty, it will seem that Mr. Matsui concurs with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (who is also reluctant to sign and ratify the treaty). As an A-bomb survivor, I cannot accept that.”
Kunihiko Sakuma, 74, the chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, said, “I think that Mr. Matsui fully understands the desire of the A-bomb survivors. I would like him to clearly include this in the Peace Declaration.” In response, Mr. Tsumura said, “I will accept this request as the collective will of the six A-bomb survivor groups and convey your message to the mayor.”
In addition, on June 28, a citizens’ group called the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA) and 22 other groups requested that the City of Hiroshima strongly urge the Japanese government to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty in the Peace Declaration. In last year’s Peace Declaration, Mr. Matsui called on all world leaders to “strive to make the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons a milestone along the path to a nuclear-weapon-free world.” His declaration, however, did not include words that directly asked the governments of the world to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
(Originally published on July 5, 2019)
On July 4, six groups of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, including the two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederations of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), submitted a letter of request to the City of Hiroshima which urges Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui to include text in this year’s Peace Declaration that calls on all governments and political leaders, including those in Japan, to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Mr. Matsui will read out this declaration during the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6. This is the first time that the A-bomb survivor groups have made this request. As Mr. Matsui is reluctant to include words in the Peace Declaration that directly urge the Japanese government to sign and ratify the treaty, the survivor groups are seeking to have the mayor change his mind.
The six groups consist of the two Hiroshima Hidankyo organizations, which are promoting a signature campaign urging world governments to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty, the Committee Seeking Measures for the Korean A-bomb Victims, the Council of Atom-bombed Koreans in Hiroshima, the Hiroshima prefectural labor union congress’s A-bomb survivor group liaison council, and the Hiroshima Alliance of A-bomb Survivor Organizations. The letter of request strongly urges the mayor to call on world leaders to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty in the Peace Declaration in order to promote the abolition of nuclear weapons, the fervent desire of all A-bomb survivors.
On July 4, the representatives of the six A-bomb survivor groups visited Hiroshi Tsumura, the head of the City of Hiroshima’s International Peace Promotion Division at the International Conference Center Hiroshima, in Naka Ward, to submit the letter of request. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, the vice chair of Hiroshima Hidankyo (chaired by Sunao Tsuboi), said, “If the mayor does not clearly include the request for government leaders and politicians to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty, it will seem that Mr. Matsui concurs with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (who is also reluctant to sign and ratify the treaty). As an A-bomb survivor, I cannot accept that.”
Kunihiko Sakuma, 74, the chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, said, “I think that Mr. Matsui fully understands the desire of the A-bomb survivors. I would like him to clearly include this in the Peace Declaration.” In response, Mr. Tsumura said, “I will accept this request as the collective will of the six A-bomb survivor groups and convey your message to the mayor.”
In addition, on June 28, a citizens’ group called the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA) and 22 other groups requested that the City of Hiroshima strongly urge the Japanese government to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty in the Peace Declaration. In last year’s Peace Declaration, Mr. Matsui called on all world leaders to “strive to make the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons a milestone along the path to a nuclear-weapon-free world.” His declaration, however, did not include words that directly asked the governments of the world to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
(Originally published on July 5, 2019)
