“We must show our last great strength to abolish nuclear weapons,” says Mr. Tanaka of Nihon Hidankyo in Tokyo at the international forum on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings
Feb. 9, 2025
by Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writer
Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the “International Civil Society Forum to Abolish Nuclear Weapons” began in Tokyo on February 8. Terumi Tanaka, 92, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), spoke his resolution in his keynote speech: “We must show our last great strength to make a breakthrough in the current harsh nuclear circumstances.”
Mr. Tanaka expressed his bitter disappointment with the Japanese government for considering not to participate as an observer in the meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to be held in March. Mentioning the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Nihon Hidankyo, he pointed out that “it created an atmosphere throughout Japan that something had to be done.” He also showed his thoughts of working together with young people to appeal to the government to sign and ratify the TPNW.
Alexander Kmentt, Director of the Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Department, Austria Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also took the platform and said the countries that rely on the theory of nuclear deterrence do not consider the security of other nations and are discriminatory. Daniel Högsta, Deputy Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), said he would continue to deny the legitimacy of nuclear weapons to a degree that the nuclear powers could no longer ignore.
The forum was organized by the Japan Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a general incorporated association, and was attended by about 350 people. It will continue until February 9.
(Originally published on February 9, 2025)
Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the “International Civil Society Forum to Abolish Nuclear Weapons” began in Tokyo on February 8. Terumi Tanaka, 92, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), spoke his resolution in his keynote speech: “We must show our last great strength to make a breakthrough in the current harsh nuclear circumstances.”
Mr. Tanaka expressed his bitter disappointment with the Japanese government for considering not to participate as an observer in the meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to be held in March. Mentioning the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Nihon Hidankyo, he pointed out that “it created an atmosphere throughout Japan that something had to be done.” He also showed his thoughts of working together with young people to appeal to the government to sign and ratify the TPNW.
Alexander Kmentt, Director of the Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Department, Austria Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also took the platform and said the countries that rely on the theory of nuclear deterrence do not consider the security of other nations and are discriminatory. Daniel Högsta, Deputy Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), said he would continue to deny the legitimacy of nuclear weapons to a degree that the nuclear powers could no longer ignore.
The forum was organized by the Japan Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a general incorporated association, and was attended by about 350 people. It will continue until February 9.
(Originally published on February 9, 2025)
