First Meeting of States Parties to TPNW: In testimony at NGO gathering in Vienna, A-bomb survivor proclaims, “Our suffering will persist until the end of our lives”
Jun. 19, 2022
by Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writer
On June 18, the Nuclear Ban Forum, an event designed to give consideration to efforts aimed at the elimination of nuclear weapons, began in Vienna, Austria. Prior to the opening of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the forum is scheduled to continue through June 19 with sponsorship by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that greatly contributed to establishment of the TPNW. During the period through June 23, the closing day of the TPNW states parties meeting, a variety of events will be held in Vienna toward the elimination of nuclear weapons, under the moniker “Nuclear Ban Week Vienna.”
On the forum’s opening day, victims of nuclear weapons from nations throughout the world and experts in the field of nuclear disarmament attended the forum. Around 30 breakout sessions were held during the course of the forum, taking on such themes as expansion of the number of nations signing on to the TPNW, the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, and other related topics. In a breakout session featuring the tragic consequences of nuclear weapons, Sueichi Kido, 82, secretary-general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) and an A-bomb survivor who experienced the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, took the podium alongside Akira Kawasaki, a member of the ICAN international steering committee, and other panelists.
Mr. Kido spoke of his experience in the atomic bombing at the age of five. Recalling a memory of that time 77 years ago, he said, “As I drew closer to the hypocenter, I saw corpses collapsed here and there and the living pleading for water. The scenes I witnessed at that time can only be described as a kind of hell.” He called for understanding of the reality of the physical and psychological suffering caused by nuclear weapons. “The unease and suffering A-bomb survivor feel about our lives, health, livelihoods, and psychology will persist until the end of our lives.” After he finished, the participants sent off Mr. Kido with a round of applause.
In a breakout session scheduled for the afternoon on June 18, Setsuko Thurlow, 90, an A-bomb survivor living in Canada, is scheduled to speak. On June 19, other sessions are scheduled, including one to communicate messages from the A-bombed city by connecting Hiroshima and Vienna online. During the Nuclear Ban Week Vienna, on June 20, the Austrian government will host the International Conference on Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons. Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui is to attend the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, held during the period June 21-23. Japan’s national government will send a delegation that includes A-bomb survivors to the international conference on humanitarian impact, but does not intend to attend the TPNW states parties meeting.
(Originally published on June 19, 2022)
On June 18, the Nuclear Ban Forum, an event designed to give consideration to efforts aimed at the elimination of nuclear weapons, began in Vienna, Austria. Prior to the opening of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the forum is scheduled to continue through June 19 with sponsorship by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that greatly contributed to establishment of the TPNW. During the period through June 23, the closing day of the TPNW states parties meeting, a variety of events will be held in Vienna toward the elimination of nuclear weapons, under the moniker “Nuclear Ban Week Vienna.”
On the forum’s opening day, victims of nuclear weapons from nations throughout the world and experts in the field of nuclear disarmament attended the forum. Around 30 breakout sessions were held during the course of the forum, taking on such themes as expansion of the number of nations signing on to the TPNW, the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, and other related topics. In a breakout session featuring the tragic consequences of nuclear weapons, Sueichi Kido, 82, secretary-general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) and an A-bomb survivor who experienced the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, took the podium alongside Akira Kawasaki, a member of the ICAN international steering committee, and other panelists.
Mr. Kido spoke of his experience in the atomic bombing at the age of five. Recalling a memory of that time 77 years ago, he said, “As I drew closer to the hypocenter, I saw corpses collapsed here and there and the living pleading for water. The scenes I witnessed at that time can only be described as a kind of hell.” He called for understanding of the reality of the physical and psychological suffering caused by nuclear weapons. “The unease and suffering A-bomb survivor feel about our lives, health, livelihoods, and psychology will persist until the end of our lives.” After he finished, the participants sent off Mr. Kido with a round of applause.
In a breakout session scheduled for the afternoon on June 18, Setsuko Thurlow, 90, an A-bomb survivor living in Canada, is scheduled to speak. On June 19, other sessions are scheduled, including one to communicate messages from the A-bombed city by connecting Hiroshima and Vienna online. During the Nuclear Ban Week Vienna, on June 20, the Austrian government will host the International Conference on Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons. Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui is to attend the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, held during the period June 21-23. Japan’s national government will send a delegation that includes A-bomb survivors to the international conference on humanitarian impact, but does not intend to attend the TPNW states parties meeting.
(Originally published on June 19, 2022)
