Prime Minister Kishida emphasizes desire for nuclear-free world but maintains passive stance on TPNW, leaving some A-bomb survivors dismayed
Aug. 7, 2022
by Yo Kono, Junji Akechi, and Yohei Yamamoto, Staff Writers
On August 6, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony for the first time as prime minister from the A-bombed Hiroshima. Mr. Kishida revealed once again his resolve to tackle the issue of nuclear abolition and achieve “a world without nuclear weapons,” which he has declared to be his life’s work. He responded politely at a meeting with A-bomb survivor representatives but maintained throughout a passive stance with respect to Japan’s participation in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
“The tragedies of that day 77 years ago must never be repeated. That is my pledge as prime minister from the A-bombed Hiroshima,” he said in his address at the ceremony. The text of the talk differed substantially from that of last year’s, delivered by the previous Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who had omitted any mention of desire for nuclear abolition, a critical sentiment forcefully emphasized by Mr. Kishida at this year’s ceremony.
In his speech, Mr. Kishida touched on the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations), which he has decided to convene in Hiroshima City next year in May. He expressed his desire to proceed with efforts to ensure that the A-bombing tragedy is never repeated, taking advantage of every opportunity. Following the ceremony’s conclusion, he visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in the city’s centrally located Naka Ward, with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, where together they took in a performance of paper-crane folding.
After the museum, Mr. Kishida attended a meeting at a hotel in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward that was designed to provide the opportunity to listen to requests from A-bomb survivor representatives. Comments from six representatives of A-bomb survivors’ groups included forceful language regarding their disappointment that Japan did not attend the states parties meeting to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and about their hope that measures for the support of survivors would be further enhanced.
Attentively, the prime minister listened to the survivors, sometimes taking notes. Regarding the TPNW, he sympathized with some of what they were saying. “It is truly an important treaty,” said Mr. Kishida. However, he argued that promotion of nuclear disarmament would be difficult unless the attitudes of nuclear weapons states changed. He simply responded that first and foremost “maintaining and strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) [to which nuclear nations are members] would be of great significance.”
While repeating the government’s conventional assertions, Mr. Kishida went one step further and clarified his stance on the specific topic of timely relocation of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), an organization jointly managed by the governments of Japan and the United States, to Hiroshima University’s Kasumi campus, both of which are located in the city’s Minami Ward. “The national government will cooperate, and we will work to enhance our support.” After the meeting, he walked up to the participants and handed them his business card while expressing gratitude to them for their participation.
After the meeting with Mr. Kishida, Kazuo Okoshi, 82, secretary general of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Kunihiko Sakuma), wore a stern expression while stating, “I don’t expect him to respond immediately to our TPNW and other demands, but A-bomb survivors are frustrated because not much time is left for us.” Toshiyuki Mimaki, 80, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), expressed his regret over the lack of mention of the TPNW in Mr. Kishida’s speech. At the same time he said, “Unlike Mr. [Shinzo] Abe or Mr. Suga, he paid attention to Hiroshima issues. I therefore have high expectations for the G7 summit and other events.”
(Originally published on August 7, 2022)
On August 6, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony for the first time as prime minister from the A-bombed Hiroshima. Mr. Kishida revealed once again his resolve to tackle the issue of nuclear abolition and achieve “a world without nuclear weapons,” which he has declared to be his life’s work. He responded politely at a meeting with A-bomb survivor representatives but maintained throughout a passive stance with respect to Japan’s participation in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
“The tragedies of that day 77 years ago must never be repeated. That is my pledge as prime minister from the A-bombed Hiroshima,” he said in his address at the ceremony. The text of the talk differed substantially from that of last year’s, delivered by the previous Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who had omitted any mention of desire for nuclear abolition, a critical sentiment forcefully emphasized by Mr. Kishida at this year’s ceremony.
In his speech, Mr. Kishida touched on the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations), which he has decided to convene in Hiroshima City next year in May. He expressed his desire to proceed with efforts to ensure that the A-bombing tragedy is never repeated, taking advantage of every opportunity. Following the ceremony’s conclusion, he visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in the city’s centrally located Naka Ward, with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, where together they took in a performance of paper-crane folding.
After the museum, Mr. Kishida attended a meeting at a hotel in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward that was designed to provide the opportunity to listen to requests from A-bomb survivor representatives. Comments from six representatives of A-bomb survivors’ groups included forceful language regarding their disappointment that Japan did not attend the states parties meeting to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and about their hope that measures for the support of survivors would be further enhanced.
Attentively, the prime minister listened to the survivors, sometimes taking notes. Regarding the TPNW, he sympathized with some of what they were saying. “It is truly an important treaty,” said Mr. Kishida. However, he argued that promotion of nuclear disarmament would be difficult unless the attitudes of nuclear weapons states changed. He simply responded that first and foremost “maintaining and strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) [to which nuclear nations are members] would be of great significance.”
While repeating the government’s conventional assertions, Mr. Kishida went one step further and clarified his stance on the specific topic of timely relocation of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), an organization jointly managed by the governments of Japan and the United States, to Hiroshima University’s Kasumi campus, both of which are located in the city’s Minami Ward. “The national government will cooperate, and we will work to enhance our support.” After the meeting, he walked up to the participants and handed them his business card while expressing gratitude to them for their participation.
After the meeting with Mr. Kishida, Kazuo Okoshi, 82, secretary general of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Kunihiko Sakuma), wore a stern expression while stating, “I don’t expect him to respond immediately to our TPNW and other demands, but A-bomb survivors are frustrated because not much time is left for us.” Toshiyuki Mimaki, 80, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), expressed his regret over the lack of mention of the TPNW in Mr. Kishida’s speech. At the same time he said, “Unlike Mr. [Shinzo] Abe or Mr. Suga, he paid attention to Hiroshima issues. I therefore have high expectations for the G7 summit and other events.”
(Originally published on August 7, 2022)
