Six A-bomb survivors’ groups protest U.S. officials’ remarks justifying atomic bombings, call for retraction
May 18, 2024
On May 17, responding to remarks made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin and members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in relation to the current Middle East situation that justified the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, six A-bomb survivors’ groups in Hiroshima mailed a joint statement to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo calling for retraction of the comments and an apology for the atomic bombings.
The six groups expressed their strong reaction. “We strongly condemn the remarks with anger and sorrow,” read the statement. With the wording “We seek remorse for the atomic bombings to hold accountable those responsible for the assault,” the groups demanded that the U.S. Congress adopt a resolution of apology for the atomic bombings and called on the U.S. government to issue a formal apology.
The basis for the statement was a previous joint declaration calling for a formal apology from the U.S. government for the atomic bombings issued earlier this year in March, when six survivors’ groups met with members of a pilgrimage group representing the U.S. chapter of “Pax Christi,” an international Catholic peace group. The Hiroshima City A-bomb Survivors Council, chaired by Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui, did not join in the statement this time because the council had not participated in the previous joint statement issued in March.
(Originally published on May 18, 2024)
The six groups expressed their strong reaction. “We strongly condemn the remarks with anger and sorrow,” read the statement. With the wording “We seek remorse for the atomic bombings to hold accountable those responsible for the assault,” the groups demanded that the U.S. Congress adopt a resolution of apology for the atomic bombings and called on the U.S. government to issue a formal apology.
The basis for the statement was a previous joint declaration calling for a formal apology from the U.S. government for the atomic bombings issued earlier this year in March, when six survivors’ groups met with members of a pilgrimage group representing the U.S. chapter of “Pax Christi,” an international Catholic peace group. The Hiroshima City A-bomb Survivors Council, chaired by Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui, did not join in the statement this time because the council had not participated in the previous joint statement issued in March.
(Originally published on May 18, 2024)
