Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations adopts special resolution at general meeting, calling for “not nuclear deterrence but nuclear abolition”
Jun. 22, 2023
by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer
On June 21, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) ended its regular general meeting held at a hotel in Tokyo. The organization adopted a special resolution entitled “Not nuclear deterrence but nuclear abolition” in light of the release of the “Hiroshima Vision,” a joint document that virtually affirmed nuclear deterrence, at the summit meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations in May.
About 80 participants from A-bomb survivors’ organization across Japan approved the resolution with applause. Touching on the Hiroshima Vision, which mentioned reinforcement of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, the resolution pointed out that the document “repeated what we have heard each time” they made a request to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The resolution concluded with words that the organization “will continue to pursue campaigns for nuclear abolition” with supporters in Japan and overseas.
The organization also reported it would dispatch Masashi Ieshima, 81, its representative director, to the first Preparatory Committee of the NPT Review Conference, which will begin in Austria at the end of July.
At a news conference after the general meeting, members of the organization, one after another, voiced concerns about the growing call for nuclear deterrence. Michiko Kodama, 85, assistant secretary-general, talked about her experience in explaining the dangerous nature of the nuclear threat to a high school student who said “nuclear deterrence is necessary” during their signature-collecting campaign for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on a street this month.
On June 22, the organization will call on ruling and opposition party politicians from the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to sign and ratify the TPNW, as well as to enhance relief measures for A-bomb survivors in the national Diet building. Sueichi Kido, 83, secretary-general of the organization, looked to the future and said, “We will persevere in our efforts until nuclear abolition is achieved.”
(Originally published on June 22, 2023)
On June 21, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) ended its regular general meeting held at a hotel in Tokyo. The organization adopted a special resolution entitled “Not nuclear deterrence but nuclear abolition” in light of the release of the “Hiroshima Vision,” a joint document that virtually affirmed nuclear deterrence, at the summit meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations in May.
About 80 participants from A-bomb survivors’ organization across Japan approved the resolution with applause. Touching on the Hiroshima Vision, which mentioned reinforcement of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, the resolution pointed out that the document “repeated what we have heard each time” they made a request to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The resolution concluded with words that the organization “will continue to pursue campaigns for nuclear abolition” with supporters in Japan and overseas.
The organization also reported it would dispatch Masashi Ieshima, 81, its representative director, to the first Preparatory Committee of the NPT Review Conference, which will begin in Austria at the end of July.
At a news conference after the general meeting, members of the organization, one after another, voiced concerns about the growing call for nuclear deterrence. Michiko Kodama, 85, assistant secretary-general, talked about her experience in explaining the dangerous nature of the nuclear threat to a high school student who said “nuclear deterrence is necessary” during their signature-collecting campaign for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on a street this month.
On June 22, the organization will call on ruling and opposition party politicians from the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to sign and ratify the TPNW, as well as to enhance relief measures for A-bomb survivors in the national Diet building. Sueichi Kido, 83, secretary-general of the organization, looked to the future and said, “We will persevere in our efforts until nuclear abolition is achieved.”
(Originally published on June 22, 2023)
