A-bombed Hiroshima’s perspective: Nuclear weapons can be eliminated—Chugoku Shimbun proposes G7 leaders face A-bombing horror, work to abolish nuclear weapons
May 7, 2023
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer
As a result of the struggle among nations during the last world war, a single atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S. military killed citizens indiscriminately, wiping out entire families and making it so some victims’ remains have yet to be found. After conclusion of the war, both adults and children died unjustly from cancers and leukemia and other such aftereffects of exposure to A-bomb radiation. On May 6, ahead of the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations), set to begin in Hiroshima City on May 19, the Chugoku Shimbun has compiled a series of proposals concerning the abolition of nuclear weapons. The proposals urge the presidents and prime ministers of the G7 nations to face up to the horror of the atomic bombing, take note of A-bomb survivors’ demands, and eliminate nuclear weapons from the world.
The proposals consist of five main pillars: facing up to the devastating consequences of the atomic bombing, drawing a roadmap to break free of reliance on nuclear deterrence, pledging to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), supporting nuclear victims worldwide, and working so that G7 nations can take a leadership role until all nuclear weapons are eliminated.
Grounded in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, the newspaper has long worked to communicate the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons by facing A-bomb victims and survivors as well as bereaved family members. Nevertheless, even with all the information accumulated over the long course of our continued reporting, we have yet to obtain a complete picture of the A-bombing devastation. Humans and nuclear weapons cannot coexist, and with that understanding, the goal of the international community must be to eliminate nuclear weapons as soon as possible.
We hope that the G7 leaders who set foot in Hiroshima will make a point to visit Peace Memorial Park and consider the lives of the people who resided in that location during the war before it was turned into a greenspace. In the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, we hope the visitors conjure the lives and deaths etched into each of the belongings of the mobilized students who died in the bombing, the cries of the bereaved families, and the trauma of the survivors. They need to learn what the weapon did to people and use that knowledge as a driving force to rid the world of such weapons, rather than trying to enhance the nuclear-deterrence protocol while trembling in fear at the weapons’ destructive power.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated threats to use nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine suggest the real possibility of a third nuclear attack based on the decision of one leader. Enhancing the system of nuclear deterrence is tantamount to increasing the risk of use of such weapons. Nuclear weapons are clearly a risk to the world and would cause horrific damage if mistakenly launched or there were a chance accident. To put an end to the impending nuclear crisis, further diplomatic efforts are essential for achieving an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and initiating ceasefire talks with the involvement of both countries.
The Hiroshima Summit will reach the status of a historic meeting if the leaders of the G7 nations can take a first step toward achieving a world free of nuclear weapons by casting off the shackles of nuclear deterrence. They carry the obligation to create a peaceful world without war and nuclear weapons on the basis of the TPNW and other international norms.
(Originally published on May 7, 2023)
As a result of the struggle among nations during the last world war, a single atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S. military killed citizens indiscriminately, wiping out entire families and making it so some victims’ remains have yet to be found. After conclusion of the war, both adults and children died unjustly from cancers and leukemia and other such aftereffects of exposure to A-bomb radiation. On May 6, ahead of the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations), set to begin in Hiroshima City on May 19, the Chugoku Shimbun has compiled a series of proposals concerning the abolition of nuclear weapons. The proposals urge the presidents and prime ministers of the G7 nations to face up to the horror of the atomic bombing, take note of A-bomb survivors’ demands, and eliminate nuclear weapons from the world.
The proposals consist of five main pillars: facing up to the devastating consequences of the atomic bombing, drawing a roadmap to break free of reliance on nuclear deterrence, pledging to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), supporting nuclear victims worldwide, and working so that G7 nations can take a leadership role until all nuclear weapons are eliminated.
Grounded in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, the newspaper has long worked to communicate the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons by facing A-bomb victims and survivors as well as bereaved family members. Nevertheless, even with all the information accumulated over the long course of our continued reporting, we have yet to obtain a complete picture of the A-bombing devastation. Humans and nuclear weapons cannot coexist, and with that understanding, the goal of the international community must be to eliminate nuclear weapons as soon as possible.
We hope that the G7 leaders who set foot in Hiroshima will make a point to visit Peace Memorial Park and consider the lives of the people who resided in that location during the war before it was turned into a greenspace. In the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, we hope the visitors conjure the lives and deaths etched into each of the belongings of the mobilized students who died in the bombing, the cries of the bereaved families, and the trauma of the survivors. They need to learn what the weapon did to people and use that knowledge as a driving force to rid the world of such weapons, rather than trying to enhance the nuclear-deterrence protocol while trembling in fear at the weapons’ destructive power.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated threats to use nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine suggest the real possibility of a third nuclear attack based on the decision of one leader. Enhancing the system of nuclear deterrence is tantamount to increasing the risk of use of such weapons. Nuclear weapons are clearly a risk to the world and would cause horrific damage if mistakenly launched or there were a chance accident. To put an end to the impending nuclear crisis, further diplomatic efforts are essential for achieving an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and initiating ceasefire talks with the involvement of both countries.
The Hiroshima Summit will reach the status of a historic meeting if the leaders of the G7 nations can take a first step toward achieving a world free of nuclear weapons by casting off the shackles of nuclear deterrence. They carry the obligation to create a peaceful world without war and nuclear weapons on the basis of the TPNW and other international norms.
(Originally published on May 7, 2023)
