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Message from Setsuko Thurlow: Abolish nuclear weapons as soon as possible

by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer

After the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, Setsuko Thurlow, 92, an atomic-bomb survivor of Hiroshima living in Canada, delivered a message on October 13. Reflecting on the victims who died with their hopes unfulfilled, whose lives were taken instantly by the atomic-bombing, she said the only way to ensure their deaths were not in vain and to give true meaning to this award is to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons as soon as possible.

As an A-bomb survivor, she expressed her heartfelt joy and celebrated the award. She recalled the hardships of her predecessors, including the late Ichiro Moritaki, who had served as Chair of both the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo) and the Nihon Hidankyo. She urged nuclear-dependent countries such as Japan, which suffered from the A-bombings, and Canada to immediately join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in order to accelerate the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Ms. Thurlow was from Minami Ward, Hiroshima, and was exposed to the A-bombing at the age of 13. She supported the activities of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO) awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions to the establishment of the TPNW, by providing her testimony, and delivered a speech at the award ceremony.

(Originally published on October 14, 2024)

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