A-bomb survivors and others stage protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in front of A-bomb Dome: “NO WAR”
Mar. 9, 2022
by Rina Yuasa, Staff Writer
On the evening of March 8, in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward, the citizens group Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA) held a gathering to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its threat to use nuclear weapons. The group sent out a message from the A-bombed city of Hiroshima in the form of about 1,000 candles that spelled out “NO WAR NO NUKES!” in both English and Russian.
Haruko Moritaki, 83, HANWA group advisor, expressed indignation about the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We ask for an immediate halt to the war and the threat of use of nuclear weapons. Attacks against nuclear power plants will create a crisis of immeasurably proportions.” She added, “We are hoping to send a message of solidarity to victims in Ukraine as well as to Russian citizens that persist in the resistance movement.”
Toshiyuki Mimaki, 79, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), and Kunihiko Sakuma, 77, chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, also took part in the gathering. Shuichi Adachi, representative of HANWA, read aloud a statement of criticism that indicated the group’s fierce opposition to the war and the use of nuclear weapons with the warning that such acts could lead the world to destruction. The statement also criticized the debate in Japan over the policy of nuclear sharing as being “extremely dangerous.”
(Originally published on March 9, 2022)
On the evening of March 8, in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward, the citizens group Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA) held a gathering to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its threat to use nuclear weapons. The group sent out a message from the A-bombed city of Hiroshima in the form of about 1,000 candles that spelled out “NO WAR NO NUKES!” in both English and Russian.
Haruko Moritaki, 83, HANWA group advisor, expressed indignation about the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We ask for an immediate halt to the war and the threat of use of nuclear weapons. Attacks against nuclear power plants will create a crisis of immeasurably proportions.” She added, “We are hoping to send a message of solidarity to victims in Ukraine as well as to Russian citizens that persist in the resistance movement.”
Toshiyuki Mimaki, 79, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), and Kunihiko Sakuma, 77, chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, also took part in the gathering. Shuichi Adachi, representative of HANWA, read aloud a statement of criticism that indicated the group’s fierce opposition to the war and the use of nuclear weapons with the warning that such acts could lead the world to destruction. The statement also criticized the debate in Japan over the policy of nuclear sharing as being “extremely dangerous.”
(Originally published on March 9, 2022)
