A-bomb survivor groups call on Hiroshima mayor to appeal for Japan’s support of nuclear weapons ban treaty in Peace Declaration
Jul. 10, 2019
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
In early July, groups of A-bomb survivors, including the two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), called on the City of Hiroshima to explicitly appeal to the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which will be read out by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6. It was an unusual move for the groups, prompted by Mr. Matsui’s negative stance toward making a direct mention of the treaty in the declaration while putting more emphasis on sharing the experiences of A-bomb survivors. Some people fear that the sense of unity between the civilian efforts to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons and the city’s peace-oriented administration may deteriorate depending on the contents of this year’s Peace Declaration.
On July 4, Koichiro Maeda, the secretary general for one of the Hiroshima Hidankyo groups (chaired by Sunao Tsuboi) and the representatives from five other A-bomb survivor groups handed their request to the city. Afterward, Mr. Maeda said emphatically, “While Mr. Matsui has urged the government to sign and ratify the treaty, as the president of Mayors for Peace, he hasn’t delivered this same message in the Peace Declaration. This sort of attitude can’t be condoned. Our shared wish is that he communicate the same message he has conveyed through Mayors for Peace in the Peace Declaration, too.”
The six organizations of A-bomb survivors have been pushing ahead with the “Hibakusha Appeal,” a signature drive seeking to urge all nations to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty. They argue that the Japanese government, representing the A-bombed nation, should take the initiative instead of turning its back on the treaty by joining it and encouraging the nuclear weapon states to follow suit. When these six A-bomb survivor groups, plus one additional group, meet with government officials to make their appeal in Hiroshima on August 6, they will ask that the government sign and ratify the treaty. It will be the third such appeal made in a meeting with government officials since the treaty was adopted in July 2017.
Avoiding conflict with the prime minister
Mayors for Peace, for which Mr. Matsui serves as president (with a membership of 7,772 cities in Japan and abroad) has also collected signatures to the same effect. Last year, the organization submitted a written request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling for Japan to join the treaty.
However, in the Peace Declarations he delivered in 2017 and 2018, Mr. Matsui made no direct statements to the government with a request to sign and ratify the treaty.
Mr. Matsui has explained that he takes on two different positions depending on the role he needs to fulfill. According to Mr. Matsui, when he reads out the Peace Declaration as the mayor of Hiroshima, he is more focused on sharing the experiences of the A-bomb survivors and conveying a message for peace, rather than making a request or leveling criticism against particular policies of a specific national government. In his view, the more effective action for advancing the goal of ratifications, instead of pursuing this as a city initiative, is to first widely convey the message for peace then have all the member cities of Mayors for Peace, for which he serves as president, join forces and urge their respective national governments to take part in the treaty.
This is the logic that underpins Mr. Matsui’s philosophy, and one city official added further explanation from the administrative perspective, saying, “Almost 100% of local governments in Japan are now members of Mayors for Peace, but their principles and policies vary considerably.” This official expressed the concern that if Mr. Matsui takes on a clearly confrontational stance toward the policy of the central government, right in front of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the ceremony, which typically draws nationwide attention, there is the possibility that some mayors of the Mayors for Peace member cities would turn away from the organization’s activities.
Another city official pointed out that Mr. Matsui also needs to take into account one of his principles as mayor, that of “pursuing peace by welcoming others to Hiroshima.” Last year’s ceremony was attended by representatives from 85 nations and the European Union (EU), including nuclear-armed nations that have rebuffed the treaty and taken the same stance as Japan. If Mr. Matsui’s words and actions during the ceremony are seen as making a demand of certain nations, or criticizing them, it is feared that such countries — and the nuclear weapon states, in particular — could become demotivated to visit Hiroshima despite the city’s efforts to encourage them to come and learn about the actual conditions of the atomic bombing first-hand.
Nagasaki has made a clear-cut appeal
The annual Peace Declaration is an important opportunity to send out a message from the A-bombed cities. In Nagasaki, the other A-bombed city, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, who serves as the vice president of Mayors for Peace, has explicitly demanded that the Japanese government sign, ratify, and support the nuclear weapons ban treaty in his Peace Declaration, in line with the voices of A-bomb survivors and citizens. According to an official from the City of Nagasaki, in this year’s declaration, the mayor will use even more forceful words to call on the government to sign and ratify the treaty.
Mr. Matsui said that, in the Peace Declaration he delivered last year, he had indirectly requested that the Japanese government sign and ratify the treaty by stating that world leaders must strive to make the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons a milestone along the path to a nuclear-weapon-free world. But Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, the vice chair of Hiroshima Hidankyo, said, “If Mr. Matsui doesn’t state this request directly, the Japanese government can say, ‘We haven’t heard about this from the mayor.’” Mr. Mimaki fears that if Mr. Abe attends the ceremony, he will listen to the Peace Declaration first, which would then undercut the demands made by the A-bomb survivor groups that he will hear at the meeting with survivors after the ceremony.
In the past two years, Mr. Matsui has directly mentioned his expectations for the Japanese government in his Peace Declaration, expectations that are basically aligned with the government’s own policies, by using such language as “bridge the gap between the nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon states” in 2017 and “leading the international community dialogue and cooperation” in 2018. Kunihiko Sakuma, 74, the chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, stressed that the nuclear weapons ban treaty was the outcome of the longtime desire of the A-bomb survivors, based on their experience of the A-bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as it outlaws the possession and use of nuclear weapons by any nation. “We don’t want contention with the government, we want collaboration. But if Mr. Matsui doesn’t request that the national government sign and ratify the treaty, in his role as the representative of Hiroshima citizens, I’m not sure what the purpose of his declaration is.”
The Peace Declaration will be prepared by Mr. Matsui in time for the August 6 ceremony. An official in the city’s Peace Promotion Division said, “We are now considering how the wish of the A-bomb survivors for TPNW should be incorporated into the declaration. The request made by the groups of survivors has been shared with the mayor.”
Requests to Japanese government made on August 6
Excerpts from the Peace Declaration delivered by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui
2017
The Japanese Constitution states, “We, the Japanese people, pledge our national honor to accomplish these high ideals and purposes with all our resources.” Therefore, I call especially on the Japanese government to manifest the pacifism in our constitution by doing everything in its power to bridge the gap between the nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon states, thereby facilitating the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
2018
I ask the Japanese government to manifest the magnificent pacifism of the Japanese Constitution in the movement toward the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by playing its proper role, leading the international community toward dialogue and cooperation for a world without nuclear weapons.
2019
Under consideration.
Contents of requests, agreed upon and made by seven A-bomb survivors groups in Hiroshima at the annual meeting attended by survivors and Japanese government representatives.
2017
The Japanese government did not take part in the U.N. negotiations to discuss the nuclear weapons ban treaty. Yet the treaty was established in line with the wishes of the A-bomb survivors and is aligned with the wishes of most citizens in Japan. We ask that the Japanese government support the treaty and strive to ratify it.
2018
The United Nations adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in July 2017, but the Japanese government voted against it. Since experiencing the atomic bombing, the A-bomb survivors have fervently desired for such a treaty to be enacted. We ask the Japanese government to act immediately to sign and ratify the treaty.
2019
The survivors are expected to again call on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the treaty.
Keywords
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)
The first international treaty to completely prohibit the development, possession, and use of nuclear weapons as well as threats to use them. The preamble of the treaty includes the words: “Mindful of the unacceptable suffering of and harm caused to the victims of the use of nuclear weapons (hibakusha).” The treaty will enter into force 90 days after 50 nations have completed their ratification procedures. In July 2017, it was adopted at the United Nations with the support of 122 nations and regions. To date, 23 nations and regions, including Austria, New Zealand, and Thailand, have completed the ratification process.
(Originally published on July 10, 2019)
In early July, groups of A-bomb survivors, including the two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), called on the City of Hiroshima to explicitly appeal to the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which will be read out by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6. It was an unusual move for the groups, prompted by Mr. Matsui’s negative stance toward making a direct mention of the treaty in the declaration while putting more emphasis on sharing the experiences of A-bomb survivors. Some people fear that the sense of unity between the civilian efforts to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons and the city’s peace-oriented administration may deteriorate depending on the contents of this year’s Peace Declaration.
On July 4, Koichiro Maeda, the secretary general for one of the Hiroshima Hidankyo groups (chaired by Sunao Tsuboi) and the representatives from five other A-bomb survivor groups handed their request to the city. Afterward, Mr. Maeda said emphatically, “While Mr. Matsui has urged the government to sign and ratify the treaty, as the president of Mayors for Peace, he hasn’t delivered this same message in the Peace Declaration. This sort of attitude can’t be condoned. Our shared wish is that he communicate the same message he has conveyed through Mayors for Peace in the Peace Declaration, too.”
The six organizations of A-bomb survivors have been pushing ahead with the “Hibakusha Appeal,” a signature drive seeking to urge all nations to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty. They argue that the Japanese government, representing the A-bombed nation, should take the initiative instead of turning its back on the treaty by joining it and encouraging the nuclear weapon states to follow suit. When these six A-bomb survivor groups, plus one additional group, meet with government officials to make their appeal in Hiroshima on August 6, they will ask that the government sign and ratify the treaty. It will be the third such appeal made in a meeting with government officials since the treaty was adopted in July 2017.
Avoiding conflict with the prime minister
Mayors for Peace, for which Mr. Matsui serves as president (with a membership of 7,772 cities in Japan and abroad) has also collected signatures to the same effect. Last year, the organization submitted a written request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling for Japan to join the treaty.
However, in the Peace Declarations he delivered in 2017 and 2018, Mr. Matsui made no direct statements to the government with a request to sign and ratify the treaty.
Mr. Matsui has explained that he takes on two different positions depending on the role he needs to fulfill. According to Mr. Matsui, when he reads out the Peace Declaration as the mayor of Hiroshima, he is more focused on sharing the experiences of the A-bomb survivors and conveying a message for peace, rather than making a request or leveling criticism against particular policies of a specific national government. In his view, the more effective action for advancing the goal of ratifications, instead of pursuing this as a city initiative, is to first widely convey the message for peace then have all the member cities of Mayors for Peace, for which he serves as president, join forces and urge their respective national governments to take part in the treaty.
This is the logic that underpins Mr. Matsui’s philosophy, and one city official added further explanation from the administrative perspective, saying, “Almost 100% of local governments in Japan are now members of Mayors for Peace, but their principles and policies vary considerably.” This official expressed the concern that if Mr. Matsui takes on a clearly confrontational stance toward the policy of the central government, right in front of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the ceremony, which typically draws nationwide attention, there is the possibility that some mayors of the Mayors for Peace member cities would turn away from the organization’s activities.
Another city official pointed out that Mr. Matsui also needs to take into account one of his principles as mayor, that of “pursuing peace by welcoming others to Hiroshima.” Last year’s ceremony was attended by representatives from 85 nations and the European Union (EU), including nuclear-armed nations that have rebuffed the treaty and taken the same stance as Japan. If Mr. Matsui’s words and actions during the ceremony are seen as making a demand of certain nations, or criticizing them, it is feared that such countries — and the nuclear weapon states, in particular — could become demotivated to visit Hiroshima despite the city’s efforts to encourage them to come and learn about the actual conditions of the atomic bombing first-hand.
Nagasaki has made a clear-cut appeal
The annual Peace Declaration is an important opportunity to send out a message from the A-bombed cities. In Nagasaki, the other A-bombed city, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, who serves as the vice president of Mayors for Peace, has explicitly demanded that the Japanese government sign, ratify, and support the nuclear weapons ban treaty in his Peace Declaration, in line with the voices of A-bomb survivors and citizens. According to an official from the City of Nagasaki, in this year’s declaration, the mayor will use even more forceful words to call on the government to sign and ratify the treaty.
Mr. Matsui said that, in the Peace Declaration he delivered last year, he had indirectly requested that the Japanese government sign and ratify the treaty by stating that world leaders must strive to make the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons a milestone along the path to a nuclear-weapon-free world. But Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, the vice chair of Hiroshima Hidankyo, said, “If Mr. Matsui doesn’t state this request directly, the Japanese government can say, ‘We haven’t heard about this from the mayor.’” Mr. Mimaki fears that if Mr. Abe attends the ceremony, he will listen to the Peace Declaration first, which would then undercut the demands made by the A-bomb survivor groups that he will hear at the meeting with survivors after the ceremony.
In the past two years, Mr. Matsui has directly mentioned his expectations for the Japanese government in his Peace Declaration, expectations that are basically aligned with the government’s own policies, by using such language as “bridge the gap between the nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon states” in 2017 and “leading the international community dialogue and cooperation” in 2018. Kunihiko Sakuma, 74, the chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, stressed that the nuclear weapons ban treaty was the outcome of the longtime desire of the A-bomb survivors, based on their experience of the A-bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as it outlaws the possession and use of nuclear weapons by any nation. “We don’t want contention with the government, we want collaboration. But if Mr. Matsui doesn’t request that the national government sign and ratify the treaty, in his role as the representative of Hiroshima citizens, I’m not sure what the purpose of his declaration is.”
The Peace Declaration will be prepared by Mr. Matsui in time for the August 6 ceremony. An official in the city’s Peace Promotion Division said, “We are now considering how the wish of the A-bomb survivors for TPNW should be incorporated into the declaration. The request made by the groups of survivors has been shared with the mayor.”
Requests to Japanese government made on August 6
Excerpts from the Peace Declaration delivered by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui
2017
The Japanese Constitution states, “We, the Japanese people, pledge our national honor to accomplish these high ideals and purposes with all our resources.” Therefore, I call especially on the Japanese government to manifest the pacifism in our constitution by doing everything in its power to bridge the gap between the nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon states, thereby facilitating the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
2018
I ask the Japanese government to manifest the magnificent pacifism of the Japanese Constitution in the movement toward the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by playing its proper role, leading the international community toward dialogue and cooperation for a world without nuclear weapons.
2019
Under consideration.
Contents of requests, agreed upon and made by seven A-bomb survivors groups in Hiroshima at the annual meeting attended by survivors and Japanese government representatives.
2017
The Japanese government did not take part in the U.N. negotiations to discuss the nuclear weapons ban treaty. Yet the treaty was established in line with the wishes of the A-bomb survivors and is aligned with the wishes of most citizens in Japan. We ask that the Japanese government support the treaty and strive to ratify it.
2018
The United Nations adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in July 2017, but the Japanese government voted against it. Since experiencing the atomic bombing, the A-bomb survivors have fervently desired for such a treaty to be enacted. We ask the Japanese government to act immediately to sign and ratify the treaty.
2019
The survivors are expected to again call on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the treaty.
Keywords
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)
The first international treaty to completely prohibit the development, possession, and use of nuclear weapons as well as threats to use them. The preamble of the treaty includes the words: “Mindful of the unacceptable suffering of and harm caused to the victims of the use of nuclear weapons (hibakusha).” The treaty will enter into force 90 days after 50 nations have completed their ratification procedures. In July 2017, it was adopted at the United Nations with the support of 122 nations and regions. To date, 23 nations and regions, including Austria, New Zealand, and Thailand, have completed the ratification process.
(Originally published on July 10, 2019)
