NPT preparatory committee—Yukiko Ichimura, founder of local group, attends grassroots rally for nuclear abolition in Vienna on A-bombing anniversary for first time in 40 years
Aug. 6, 2023
by Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writer
In Vienna, the location of the first preparatory committee for the 2026 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, an anti-nuclear organization called the “Hiroshima Group” held a rally on the evening of August 6, the date commemorating the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Yukiko Ichimura, 72, a resident of Tokyo who founded the group in 1981, participated in the rally for the first time in about 40 years. Delighted by how the grassroots activity has continued, she expressed her hope for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The rally, attended by around 200 people, was held in front of Vienna’s centrally located St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Between guitar performances and singing, participants spoke to those who had gathered through a microphone.
Klaus Renoldner, Austrian representative of the World Congress of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), remarked that, “Medical care cannot cope with radiation effects. Nuclear war must be prevented at all costs.” Lioba Bammer, from the disarmament department of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which advocates for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), said that, “The only way to prevent use of nuclear weapons is to choose a path toward a nuclear ban treaty, rather than simply strengthen nuclear deterrence.”
The Hiroshima Group was established in 1981, a time marked by a surge in intensity of the anti-nuclear movement across Europe. Ms. Ichimura, who was studying at the University of Vienna, was shocked by an account of the experiences in the atomic bombing of a survivor she had met and for whom she served as an interpreter. She asked her friends to convey information about the devastating tragedy of the atomic bombing to people in Austria. She explained that they were able to help expand the anti-nuclear movement through film screenings and other activities.
The rallies marking the anniversary of the atomic bombing began in 1983. Even after Ms. Ichimura returned to Japan, the group has held a rally nearly every year since. On the anniversary of the bombing this year, for the first time in 40 years, Ms. Ichimura visited Vienna and participated in the rally. “I was moved that the grassroots activities have continued for such a long time. The desire for peace has remained unaltered in that time,” she said. “It has become a force that prevents the use of nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on August 8, 2023)
In Vienna, the location of the first preparatory committee for the 2026 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, an anti-nuclear organization called the “Hiroshima Group” held a rally on the evening of August 6, the date commemorating the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Yukiko Ichimura, 72, a resident of Tokyo who founded the group in 1981, participated in the rally for the first time in about 40 years. Delighted by how the grassroots activity has continued, she expressed her hope for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The rally, attended by around 200 people, was held in front of Vienna’s centrally located St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Between guitar performances and singing, participants spoke to those who had gathered through a microphone.
Klaus Renoldner, Austrian representative of the World Congress of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), remarked that, “Medical care cannot cope with radiation effects. Nuclear war must be prevented at all costs.” Lioba Bammer, from the disarmament department of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which advocates for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), said that, “The only way to prevent use of nuclear weapons is to choose a path toward a nuclear ban treaty, rather than simply strengthen nuclear deterrence.”
The Hiroshima Group was established in 1981, a time marked by a surge in intensity of the anti-nuclear movement across Europe. Ms. Ichimura, who was studying at the University of Vienna, was shocked by an account of the experiences in the atomic bombing of a survivor she had met and for whom she served as an interpreter. She asked her friends to convey information about the devastating tragedy of the atomic bombing to people in Austria. She explained that they were able to help expand the anti-nuclear movement through film screenings and other activities.
The rallies marking the anniversary of the atomic bombing began in 1983. Even after Ms. Ichimura returned to Japan, the group has held a rally nearly every year since. On the anniversary of the bombing this year, for the first time in 40 years, Ms. Ichimura visited Vienna and participated in the rally. “I was moved that the grassroots activities have continued for such a long time. The desire for peace has remained unaltered in that time,” she said. “It has become a force that prevents the use of nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on August 8, 2023)
