Hiroshima Peace Liaison Conference for Nuclear Abolition stages sit-in to protest U.S. subcritical nuclear test
May 21, 2024
by Minami Yamashita, Staff Writer
The United States has conducted its third subcritical nuclear test under the administration of President Joe Biden. In response, the Hiroshima Peace Liaison Conference for Nuclear Abolition, comprised of 11 organizations including the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (chaired by Toshiyuki Mimaki), the Hiroshima prefectural chapter of the Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), and the Hiroshima Chapter of Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo Hiroshima), staged a sit-in protest. This protest took place on May 20 in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Peace Memorial Park in the city’s Naka Ward.
Fifty-nine people joined in. They sat in the sun for 15 minutes, holding a banner that read “From Hiroshima, we strongly protest against any form of nuclear test!” Referring to the summit meeting of the G7 (G7 summit, attended by the Group of Seven industrialized nations) held in the city one year ago, Mr. Mimaki said, “It’s infuriating. Was the summit just a ceremony? Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should express a strong objection to the United States.”
After it became clear the U.S. conducted the test on May 14, the Hiroshima Peace Liaison Conference for Nuclear Abolition, (following Hiroshima Prefecture and the city of Hiroshima), and leaders of cities and towns in the prefecture sent letters of protest addressed to President Biden on the same day. Otake Mayor Yoshiro Iriyama condemned the U.S., saying, “It’s an act that tramples the hearts of those who wish for the abolition of nuclear weapons and permanent peace,” and sent the letter to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. The cities of Takehara and Etajima and towns of Fuchu, Kaita, Kumano, and Saka also wrote statements of a similar nature.
(Originally published on May 21, 2024)
The United States has conducted its third subcritical nuclear test under the administration of President Joe Biden. In response, the Hiroshima Peace Liaison Conference for Nuclear Abolition, comprised of 11 organizations including the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (chaired by Toshiyuki Mimaki), the Hiroshima prefectural chapter of the Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), and the Hiroshima Chapter of Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo Hiroshima), staged a sit-in protest. This protest took place on May 20 in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Peace Memorial Park in the city’s Naka Ward.
Fifty-nine people joined in. They sat in the sun for 15 minutes, holding a banner that read “From Hiroshima, we strongly protest against any form of nuclear test!” Referring to the summit meeting of the G7 (G7 summit, attended by the Group of Seven industrialized nations) held in the city one year ago, Mr. Mimaki said, “It’s infuriating. Was the summit just a ceremony? Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should express a strong objection to the United States.”
After it became clear the U.S. conducted the test on May 14, the Hiroshima Peace Liaison Conference for Nuclear Abolition, (following Hiroshima Prefecture and the city of Hiroshima), and leaders of cities and towns in the prefecture sent letters of protest addressed to President Biden on the same day. Otake Mayor Yoshiro Iriyama condemned the U.S., saying, “It’s an act that tramples the hearts of those who wish for the abolition of nuclear weapons and permanent peace,” and sent the letter to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. The cities of Takehara and Etajima and towns of Fuchu, Kaita, Kumano, and Saka also wrote statements of a similar nature.
(Originally published on May 21, 2024)
