First Meeting of States Parties to TPNW: Setsuko Thurlow warns of growing dependence on nuclear arms as Russia’s invasion “makes the case for nuclear abolition more compelling than ever”
Jun. 20, 2022
by Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writer
On June 18, Setsuko Thurlow, 90, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima who resides in Canada, spoke at the Nuclear Ban Forum, held in Vienna, Austria, prior to the start of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), scheduled to take place during June 21–23. Depicting the TPNW as “the ‘opening’ that can bring to a close the long reign of nuclear terror,” she emphasized the importance of the treaty particularly given the Ukraine situation, in which Russia has hinted at the possible use of nuclear weapons.
The forum was organized by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization that contributed to the establishment of the TPNW. Introducing the title of her presentation, “A Survivor’s Journey,” at the beginning of her talk, Ms. Thurlow explained that, “It is the story of a journey no human being should ever have to take.”
She vividly described the scenes when she, then 13 years old, experienced the atomic bombing around 1.8 kilometers from the hypocenter. “Imagine that the faint cries you hear — ‘Mother, help me. God, help me’ — are those of your dying friends,” she said.
Ms. Thurlow referred to the Ukraine situation when she sounded the alarm about international society’s growing dependence on nuclear weapons. “The war in Ukraine makes the case for nuclear abolition more compelling than ever.” She also touched on the decision by Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (representing Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 1) to host the summit meeting of the G7 (attended by the Group of Seven industrialized nations) in Hiroshima when she demanded that “before you welcome the G7 to Hiroshima, open a national dialogue on the TPNW.”
Listening intently to Ms. Thurlow at the forum venue were about 100 attendees. Theogene Iyakaremye, 48, a director of an organization from Rwanda, stressed how moved she was by Ms. Thurlow’s speech and about her desire to make an effort, with Ms. Thurlow’s words in mind, to ensure that Rwanda joins the TPNW.
(Originally published on June 20, 2022)
On June 18, Setsuko Thurlow, 90, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima who resides in Canada, spoke at the Nuclear Ban Forum, held in Vienna, Austria, prior to the start of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), scheduled to take place during June 21–23. Depicting the TPNW as “the ‘opening’ that can bring to a close the long reign of nuclear terror,” she emphasized the importance of the treaty particularly given the Ukraine situation, in which Russia has hinted at the possible use of nuclear weapons.
The forum was organized by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization that contributed to the establishment of the TPNW. Introducing the title of her presentation, “A Survivor’s Journey,” at the beginning of her talk, Ms. Thurlow explained that, “It is the story of a journey no human being should ever have to take.”
She vividly described the scenes when she, then 13 years old, experienced the atomic bombing around 1.8 kilometers from the hypocenter. “Imagine that the faint cries you hear — ‘Mother, help me. God, help me’ — are those of your dying friends,” she said.
Ms. Thurlow referred to the Ukraine situation when she sounded the alarm about international society’s growing dependence on nuclear weapons. “The war in Ukraine makes the case for nuclear abolition more compelling than ever.” She also touched on the decision by Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (representing Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 1) to host the summit meeting of the G7 (attended by the Group of Seven industrialized nations) in Hiroshima when she demanded that “before you welcome the G7 to Hiroshima, open a national dialogue on the TPNW.”
Listening intently to Ms. Thurlow at the forum venue were about 100 attendees. Theogene Iyakaremye, 48, a director of an organization from Rwanda, stressed how moved she was by Ms. Thurlow’s speech and about her desire to make an effort, with Ms. Thurlow’s words in mind, to ensure that Rwanda joins the TPNW.
(Originally published on June 20, 2022)
