As general meeting concludes, Nihon Hidankyo appoints Emiko Honma, from Matsue, as its first second-generation A-bomb survivor director
Jun. 21, 2024
by Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writer
On June 20, a second-generation A-bomb survivor was appointed for the first time to serve as director of the Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo). At the group’s regular general meeting held in Tokyo, Emiko Honma, 74, a resident of Matsue City in Shimane Prefecture and chair of an A-bomb survivors’ group in Shimane Prefecture whose mother experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, was selected to serve as regional director representing the organization’s Chugoku bloc. As the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing approaches, the selection gave a glimpse into Nihon Hidankyo’s idea of broadening the scope of the group’s activities to involve more second-generation survivors.
Nihon Hidankyo’s total of 12 directors represent eight regional blocs in Japan, as well as the cities of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tokyo, and Osaka. Ms. Honma’s appointment was greeted with applause from the roughly 90 A-bomb survivors who had gathered from throughout Japan to attend the meeting. After the meeting’s conclusion, Ms. Honma responded to questions from the media. “I want to carry on the wishes of A-bomb survivors and increase second-generation survivor membership,” she said. Nihon Hidankyo Co-Chairperson Terumi Tanaka, 92, also spoke at the press conference. “The second-generation A-bomb survivors were also victims of the atomic bombing, and our organization needs to demand action from the national government [in support of that group of people].”
The interaction with the media took place on the final day of the general meeting, which had begun on June 19. Also reported at that time was that the organization’s Secretary-General Sueichi Kido, 84, would travel to Kazakhstan in August and attend an international conference concerning the issue of aid and assistance to nuclear victims.
On June 21, Nihon Hidankyo will meet with representatives of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as well as Diet members from both ruling and opposition parties to demand that the government enhance its assistance for A-bomb survivors, including second-generation survivors, as well as join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
(Originally published on June 21, 2024)
On June 20, a second-generation A-bomb survivor was appointed for the first time to serve as director of the Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo). At the group’s regular general meeting held in Tokyo, Emiko Honma, 74, a resident of Matsue City in Shimane Prefecture and chair of an A-bomb survivors’ group in Shimane Prefecture whose mother experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, was selected to serve as regional director representing the organization’s Chugoku bloc. As the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing approaches, the selection gave a glimpse into Nihon Hidankyo’s idea of broadening the scope of the group’s activities to involve more second-generation survivors.
Nihon Hidankyo’s total of 12 directors represent eight regional blocs in Japan, as well as the cities of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tokyo, and Osaka. Ms. Honma’s appointment was greeted with applause from the roughly 90 A-bomb survivors who had gathered from throughout Japan to attend the meeting. After the meeting’s conclusion, Ms. Honma responded to questions from the media. “I want to carry on the wishes of A-bomb survivors and increase second-generation survivor membership,” she said. Nihon Hidankyo Co-Chairperson Terumi Tanaka, 92, also spoke at the press conference. “The second-generation A-bomb survivors were also victims of the atomic bombing, and our organization needs to demand action from the national government [in support of that group of people].”
The interaction with the media took place on the final day of the general meeting, which had begun on June 19. Also reported at that time was that the organization’s Secretary-General Sueichi Kido, 84, would travel to Kazakhstan in August and attend an international conference concerning the issue of aid and assistance to nuclear victims.
On June 21, Nihon Hidankyo will meet with representatives of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as well as Diet members from both ruling and opposition parties to demand that the government enhance its assistance for A-bomb survivors, including second-generation survivors, as well as join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
(Originally published on June 21, 2024)
