First Meeting of States Parties to TPNW: In front of A-bomb Dome, calls made for abolition of nuclear weapons through online connection with Vienna prior to next day’s meeting
Jun. 20, 2022
by Taiki Yomura, Staff Writer
The First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will begin in Vienna, Austria, on June 21. Before the meeting’s open, in the evening of June 19, an event was held online to connect Vienna and the A-bombed city of Hiroshima’s A-bomb Dome (located in the city’s Naka Ward). Members of the Kinoko-kai organization of A-bomb survivors with microcephaly and their families delivered a message based on their hopes for the elimination of nuclear weapons and attainment of world peace.
According to the organization, the event marked the first time for an A-bomb survivor with microcephaly — a disability marked by intellectual and physical disabilities caused after experiencing the atomic bombing in the mother’s womb — to speak on an international stage. Hiroe Kawashimo, 76, a woman with microcephaly who lives in Hiroshima’s Higashi Ward, raised her voice and said, “I’m afraid of war. I hate it.” Ms. Kawashimo’s mother experienced the atomic bombing during her pregnancy in the area of Hirosekita-machi, located about one kilometer from the Hiroshima hypocenter. Yoshio Nagaoka, 73, president of the Kinoko-kai group and a resident of Hiroshima’s Asaminami Ward, stressed that the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons has caused damage to victims across generations.
The event was part of a civic forum hosted by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), an NGO that exerted great effort for establishment of the TPNW. Toshiko Tanaka, 83, an A-bomb survivor living in Hiroshima’s Higashi Ward, referred to Russia’s threats of the use of nuclear weapons after that country invaded Ukraine. “The threat posed by a country possessing nuclear weapons has frightened the world into a state of paralysis rather than one seeking peace.” Ms. Tanaka expressed her hope that the TPNW states parties meeting can turn the situation around.
In front of the A-bomb Dome, around 60 people including A-bomb survivors held placards with anti-nuclear messages calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons, among others. In addition to Vienna, the event also connected online with other sites such as Nagasaki, the other A-bombed city.
The TPNW states parties meeting will be held over a period of three days through June 23. On the first day, June 21, victims of nuclear weapons and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui are scheduled to speak. On June 22, the meeting will discuss measures to increase the number of states parties to the TPNW, and on June 23, the final day, a final document is to be adopted.
(Originally published on June 20, 2022)
The First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will begin in Vienna, Austria, on June 21. Before the meeting’s open, in the evening of June 19, an event was held online to connect Vienna and the A-bombed city of Hiroshima’s A-bomb Dome (located in the city’s Naka Ward). Members of the Kinoko-kai organization of A-bomb survivors with microcephaly and their families delivered a message based on their hopes for the elimination of nuclear weapons and attainment of world peace.
According to the organization, the event marked the first time for an A-bomb survivor with microcephaly — a disability marked by intellectual and physical disabilities caused after experiencing the atomic bombing in the mother’s womb — to speak on an international stage. Hiroe Kawashimo, 76, a woman with microcephaly who lives in Hiroshima’s Higashi Ward, raised her voice and said, “I’m afraid of war. I hate it.” Ms. Kawashimo’s mother experienced the atomic bombing during her pregnancy in the area of Hirosekita-machi, located about one kilometer from the Hiroshima hypocenter. Yoshio Nagaoka, 73, president of the Kinoko-kai group and a resident of Hiroshima’s Asaminami Ward, stressed that the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons has caused damage to victims across generations.
The event was part of a civic forum hosted by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), an NGO that exerted great effort for establishment of the TPNW. Toshiko Tanaka, 83, an A-bomb survivor living in Hiroshima’s Higashi Ward, referred to Russia’s threats of the use of nuclear weapons after that country invaded Ukraine. “The threat posed by a country possessing nuclear weapons has frightened the world into a state of paralysis rather than one seeking peace.” Ms. Tanaka expressed her hope that the TPNW states parties meeting can turn the situation around.
In front of the A-bomb Dome, around 60 people including A-bomb survivors held placards with anti-nuclear messages calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons, among others. In addition to Vienna, the event also connected online with other sites such as Nagasaki, the other A-bombed city.
The TPNW states parties meeting will be held over a period of three days through June 23. On the first day, June 21, victims of nuclear weapons and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui are scheduled to speak. On June 22, the meeting will discuss measures to increase the number of states parties to the TPNW, and on June 23, the final day, a final document is to be adopted.
(Originally published on June 20, 2022)
