Hiroshima A-bomb survivors and citizens get annoyed with U.S. subcritical nuclear test; see it as a reverse movement against nuclear abolition: “It is unforgivable”
May 18, 2024
by Minami Yamashita, Keiichi Nohira, and Yu Kawakami, Staff Writers
On May 17, A-bomb survivors and citizens in Hiroshima raised their voice in protest against the U.S. Biden administration, in reaction to a subcritical nuclear test (which did not involve a nuclear explosion) conducted by the administration. Since “a world without nuclear weapons” was set as a goal at the summit meeting of G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations) held in Hiroshima just a year ago, they cannot contain their anger at the nuclear superpower’s reverse movement.
At the summit, G7 nations including the U.S. compiled the joint “Hiroshima Vision,” statement, the first summit document focusing on nuclear disarmament, taking a stance that sought a world without nuclear weapons through a “realistic” approach, and have been proud of the vision as an achievement of the summit. Toshiyuki Mimaki, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), criticized the U.S. government, saying, “What it did was not consistent with what it said. As conflicts are constantly underway throughout the world, if the U.S. conducts a nuclear test, I think Russia will carry it out, too.”
Previously, on May 15, the other Hiroshima Hidankyo had sent a letter of request calling for cancellation of the test to President Biden. Kunihiko Sakuma, chair, emphatically said, “The U.S. should recognize it is impossible to realize peace through nuclear deterrence.”
At a loss for words, Haruko Moritaki, 85, advisor of the citizen’s group Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA), said, “Why now?” Given the current situation where Russia and Israel continue battles through threat of nuclear weapons, she expressed her anger, saying, “I cannot forgive the movement of advancing nuclear development further under the tense situation of the world.”
U.S. senators have repeatedly made comments, which justify the atomic bombing at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Miho Tanaka, joint representative of a civic group Kakuwaka Hiroshima (a group of young voters in Hiroshima working to understand nuclear policies), braced herself, saying, “I wonder how many people in the U.S. have known that nuclear damages are still incurred in Hiroshima. We must continue to deliver our voice with people in Nagasaki.”
(Originally published on May 18, 2024)
On May 17, A-bomb survivors and citizens in Hiroshima raised their voice in protest against the U.S. Biden administration, in reaction to a subcritical nuclear test (which did not involve a nuclear explosion) conducted by the administration. Since “a world without nuclear weapons” was set as a goal at the summit meeting of G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations) held in Hiroshima just a year ago, they cannot contain their anger at the nuclear superpower’s reverse movement.
At the summit, G7 nations including the U.S. compiled the joint “Hiroshima Vision,” statement, the first summit document focusing on nuclear disarmament, taking a stance that sought a world without nuclear weapons through a “realistic” approach, and have been proud of the vision as an achievement of the summit. Toshiyuki Mimaki, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), criticized the U.S. government, saying, “What it did was not consistent with what it said. As conflicts are constantly underway throughout the world, if the U.S. conducts a nuclear test, I think Russia will carry it out, too.”
Previously, on May 15, the other Hiroshima Hidankyo had sent a letter of request calling for cancellation of the test to President Biden. Kunihiko Sakuma, chair, emphatically said, “The U.S. should recognize it is impossible to realize peace through nuclear deterrence.”
At a loss for words, Haruko Moritaki, 85, advisor of the citizen’s group Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA), said, “Why now?” Given the current situation where Russia and Israel continue battles through threat of nuclear weapons, she expressed her anger, saying, “I cannot forgive the movement of advancing nuclear development further under the tense situation of the world.”
U.S. senators have repeatedly made comments, which justify the atomic bombing at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Miho Tanaka, joint representative of a civic group Kakuwaka Hiroshima (a group of young voters in Hiroshima working to understand nuclear policies), braced herself, saying, “I wonder how many people in the U.S. have known that nuclear damages are still incurred in Hiroshima. We must continue to deliver our voice with people in Nagasaki.”
(Originally published on May 18, 2024)
