“No More Hibakusha” – Hidankyo delegation shares A-bomb testimonies with German youth and seeks participation in TPNW
Aug. 6, 2022
by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer (reporting from New York City)
In conjunction with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, four delegates from the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), including executive members of the organization, has been visiting New York, and repeatedly sharing their A-bomb testimonies with young people. They also called on representatives of participating countries to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (NPTW). They have used the full extent of their determination and willpower to send out an appeal for “No more Hibakusha.”
On August 4, Jiro Hamazumi, 76, the organization’s Assistant Secretary General and resident of Tokyo, met with ten German university students and others who had come to observe the Review Conference near U.N. Headquarters. Mr. Hamazumi revealed the fact that he was an in-utero A-bomb survivor and told them his mother walked around the central part of Hiroshima City immediately after the atomic bomb was dropped in search of his father while she was pregnant with him. He said, “The A-bomb radiation has a great impact on the health of fetuses as well.”
When asked, “Why do you talk about such a painful experience?” Mr. Hamazumi replied, “Because I have an ardent desire not to allow any more Hibakushas, A-bomb survivors.” Johannes Bosse, 25, said this was a first for him to learn about the danger of being exposed to radiation in the womb and that we must abolish nuclear weapons.
The delegation from the Hidankyo arrived in New York on August 2. The number of participants has decreased significantly due to aging and COVID-19 from approximately 50 at the previous Review Conference seven years ago. They met with Aidan Liddle, the U.K.’s disarmament ambassador, on August 3, and Ichiro Ogasawara, Ambassador of Japan’s Delectation for Disarmament, on August 4, and urged them to sign and ratify the nuclear ban treaty. The Hidankyo delegation is energetically working on a number of activities in their quest to seek signature and ratification of the treaty. Masako Wada, 78, Assistant Secretary General from Yokohama of the Hidankyo will talk about her A-bomb experience in Nagasaki at the Review Conference and seek the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
(Originally published on August 6, 2022)
In conjunction with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, four delegates from the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), including executive members of the organization, has been visiting New York, and repeatedly sharing their A-bomb testimonies with young people. They also called on representatives of participating countries to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (NPTW). They have used the full extent of their determination and willpower to send out an appeal for “No more Hibakusha.”
On August 4, Jiro Hamazumi, 76, the organization’s Assistant Secretary General and resident of Tokyo, met with ten German university students and others who had come to observe the Review Conference near U.N. Headquarters. Mr. Hamazumi revealed the fact that he was an in-utero A-bomb survivor and told them his mother walked around the central part of Hiroshima City immediately after the atomic bomb was dropped in search of his father while she was pregnant with him. He said, “The A-bomb radiation has a great impact on the health of fetuses as well.”
When asked, “Why do you talk about such a painful experience?” Mr. Hamazumi replied, “Because I have an ardent desire not to allow any more Hibakushas, A-bomb survivors.” Johannes Bosse, 25, said this was a first for him to learn about the danger of being exposed to radiation in the womb and that we must abolish nuclear weapons.
The delegation from the Hidankyo arrived in New York on August 2. The number of participants has decreased significantly due to aging and COVID-19 from approximately 50 at the previous Review Conference seven years ago. They met with Aidan Liddle, the U.K.’s disarmament ambassador, on August 3, and Ichiro Ogasawara, Ambassador of Japan’s Delectation for Disarmament, on August 4, and urged them to sign and ratify the nuclear ban treaty. The Hidankyo delegation is energetically working on a number of activities in their quest to seek signature and ratification of the treaty. Masako Wada, 78, Assistant Secretary General from Yokohama of the Hidankyo will talk about her A-bomb experience in Nagasaki at the Review Conference and seek the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
(Originally published on August 6, 2022)
