U.S. subcritical nuclear test
May 19, 2024
A-bomb survivors and local governments in Hiroshima Prefecture express anger and send letters of protest, A-bomb survivors stage sit- in
by Yo Kono, Staff Writer
Following the third subcritical nuclear test conducted by the United States under the administration of President Joe Biden, A-bomb survivors’ groups and local governments in Hiroshima Prefecture voiced their anger on May 18. They staged a sit-in and sent letters of protest addressed to President Biden, demanding the U.S. stop nuclear testing.
Nine members from the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Kunihiko Sakuma) and the Hiroshima chapter of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs staged a sit-in in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. For about 20 minutes, they held a banner and put up sheets of paper that read “We strongly protest the United States’ subcritical nuclear testing.”
Mr. Sakuma expressed his anger, saying, “This is an act that defies the ‘Hiroshima Vision,’ a consensus document on nuclear disarmament. We cannot accept this,” referring to the summit of the Group of Seven industrial nations held in the city last May.
Before the sit-in, Hiroshima Hidankyo faxed a letter of protest addressed to President Biden to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Seven organizations of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima also mailed a statement calling for an immediate end to subcritical nuclear testing.
Local governments also sent letters of protest. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui criticized the test, saying, “It goes against the wishes of many people, including A-bomb survivors, who call for the elimination of nuclear weapons. It is absolutely unpardonable.” He also made a protest as chair of Mayors for Peace. Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki also expressed his rage, saying, “I feel strong indignation. It greatly foils the efforts for nuclear disarmament the international community has continued to make.” The cities of Higashihiroshima and Hatsukaichi also issued similar sentiments.
The U.S. conducted its 34th subcritical nuclear test, the first since September 2021, at its nuclear test site in the western state of Nevada on the evening of May 14. The country plans to conduct another test in the first half of 2025.
(Originally published on May 19, 2024)
