Nihon Hidankyo holds report session in Tokyo, saying, “I hope people won’t just be impressed”
Feb. 2, 2025
by Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writer
On February 1, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2024, held a report session in Tokyo. Terumi Tanaka, 92, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, referenced his acceptance speech, in which he repeatedly criticized the Japanese government for failing to provide national compensation to the victims of the atomic bombing, and reflected, “This is a problem common to other countries. I wanted people around the world to take notice.”
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Tanaka said, “I’ll repeat this once more. The Japanese government has never provided compensation to those who were killed in the A-bombing.” During the session, he revealed that he decided to repeat the statement in the moment and added, “This is an important issue not only for Japan but also for democratic nations. A nation should never force its people to become victims.”
His acceptance speech, in which he emphasized the efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, was reportedly well received. He said, “I hope people won’t just be impressed but take my speech as what they should do.”
After that, Jiro Hamasumi, 78, deputy secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo, emphasized his desire to change the government’s reliance on nuclear deterrence, using the 80th anniversary of the A-bombing as an opportunity. He announced, “We will hold a large rally in Tokyo on October 11, submit requests to members of the Diet and each county, and seek new people willing to share their experiences of the A-bombing.” The session was organized by Nihon Hidankyo and other organizations, with about 100 people in attendance.
(Originally published on February 2, 2025)
On February 1, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2024, held a report session in Tokyo. Terumi Tanaka, 92, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, referenced his acceptance speech, in which he repeatedly criticized the Japanese government for failing to provide national compensation to the victims of the atomic bombing, and reflected, “This is a problem common to other countries. I wanted people around the world to take notice.”
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Tanaka said, “I’ll repeat this once more. The Japanese government has never provided compensation to those who were killed in the A-bombing.” During the session, he revealed that he decided to repeat the statement in the moment and added, “This is an important issue not only for Japan but also for democratic nations. A nation should never force its people to become victims.”
His acceptance speech, in which he emphasized the efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, was reportedly well received. He said, “I hope people won’t just be impressed but take my speech as what they should do.”
After that, Jiro Hamasumi, 78, deputy secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo, emphasized his desire to change the government’s reliance on nuclear deterrence, using the 80th anniversary of the A-bombing as an opportunity. He announced, “We will hold a large rally in Tokyo on October 11, submit requests to members of the Diet and each county, and seek new people willing to share their experiences of the A-bombing.” The session was organized by Nihon Hidankyo and other organizations, with about 100 people in attendance.
(Originally published on February 2, 2025)
