A-bomb survivor in Hiroshima views new U.S. nuclear strategy with mixed feelings
Apr. 9, 2010
by Junichiro Hayashi, Staff Writer
Yoshihiko Yagi, 75, a survivor of the atomic bombing and a resident of Hiroshima, holds mixed feelings about the Nuclear Posture Review Report (NPR), the new guideline compiled by the U.S. government which articulates the nation's nuclear strategy. Although he believes that placing limits on the use of nuclear weapons is "a positive step forward," he regrets that a path toward the elimination of nuclear weapons, which took the lives of five members of his family, is not indicated in the report. Mr. Yagi has pledged to himself that he will continue to appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons as strongly as ever.
On the morning of April 7, Mr. Yagi read the outline of the NPR in the newspaper and felt both pleased and saddened. "It's about how to use nuclear weapons," he said. "There's nothing about how to abolish them."
Sixty-five years ago, Mr. Yagi lost five members of his family in the bombing: his father, three older sisters, and a younger brother. He was 11 years old at the time and was exposed to the bombing at Hakushima Elementary School, located 1.5 kilometers from the hypocenter. His mother had died of illness before the war.
After the bombing, he was able to find a surviving sister, three years younger, and their older brother, who was sent to the battlefront in China and returned two years after the war ended. The life of the three siblings was not easy and Mr. Yagi dropped out of junior high school in his second year. After that, he worked away the years until finally retiring due to old age from a wholesale company dealing in dried foods.
Fifty years passed since the end of the war before Mr. Yagi finally had the names of his family members who died in the bombing carved into the family gravestone. At that point, at last, he wanted to bring a sense of closure to his feelings about their deaths. Afterwards, he began to look at the issue of nuclear weapons squarely and talk about his experience of the bombing in front of others.
The new NPR claims that "the United States would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances." While Mr. Yagi senses the will of U.S. President Barack Obama, who has pledged to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons, he cannot erase the suspicion that the nation's real intention is simply to eliminate its older warheads.
The nuclear superpower has not altered its policy of maintaining its nuclear deterrent capability. "As long as there is belief in the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, I think it will be difficult to eliminate all nuclear weapons," Mr. Yagi said. In fact, on many occasions from the people around him he has heard the view that the U.S. nuclear umbrella is needed to defend Japan's national security.
The Health Co-operative Association of Hiroshima asked Mr. Yagi to travel to the United States when the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference convenes this May. With a rising determination, he decided to go, thinking, "What sort of future can we have with nuclear weapons threatening the well-being of our children and grandchildren? What do the people of America think about the nuclear strategy pursued by their government? I would like to discuss these issues with them and diligently appeal for abolition."
Related articles
Nuclear Weapons Can Be Eliminated: One month to NPT Review Conference (April 5, 2010)
Yoshihiko Yagi, 75, a survivor of the atomic bombing and a resident of Hiroshima, holds mixed feelings about the Nuclear Posture Review Report (NPR), the new guideline compiled by the U.S. government which articulates the nation's nuclear strategy. Although he believes that placing limits on the use of nuclear weapons is "a positive step forward," he regrets that a path toward the elimination of nuclear weapons, which took the lives of five members of his family, is not indicated in the report. Mr. Yagi has pledged to himself that he will continue to appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons as strongly as ever.
On the morning of April 7, Mr. Yagi read the outline of the NPR in the newspaper and felt both pleased and saddened. "It's about how to use nuclear weapons," he said. "There's nothing about how to abolish them."
Sixty-five years ago, Mr. Yagi lost five members of his family in the bombing: his father, three older sisters, and a younger brother. He was 11 years old at the time and was exposed to the bombing at Hakushima Elementary School, located 1.5 kilometers from the hypocenter. His mother had died of illness before the war.
After the bombing, he was able to find a surviving sister, three years younger, and their older brother, who was sent to the battlefront in China and returned two years after the war ended. The life of the three siblings was not easy and Mr. Yagi dropped out of junior high school in his second year. After that, he worked away the years until finally retiring due to old age from a wholesale company dealing in dried foods.
Fifty years passed since the end of the war before Mr. Yagi finally had the names of his family members who died in the bombing carved into the family gravestone. At that point, at last, he wanted to bring a sense of closure to his feelings about their deaths. Afterwards, he began to look at the issue of nuclear weapons squarely and talk about his experience of the bombing in front of others.
The new NPR claims that "the United States would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances." While Mr. Yagi senses the will of U.S. President Barack Obama, who has pledged to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons, he cannot erase the suspicion that the nation's real intention is simply to eliminate its older warheads.
The nuclear superpower has not altered its policy of maintaining its nuclear deterrent capability. "As long as there is belief in the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, I think it will be difficult to eliminate all nuclear weapons," Mr. Yagi said. In fact, on many occasions from the people around him he has heard the view that the U.S. nuclear umbrella is needed to defend Japan's national security.
The Health Co-operative Association of Hiroshima asked Mr. Yagi to travel to the United States when the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference convenes this May. With a rising determination, he decided to go, thinking, "What sort of future can we have with nuclear weapons threatening the well-being of our children and grandchildren? What do the people of America think about the nuclear strategy pursued by their government? I would like to discuss these issues with them and diligently appeal for abolition."
Related articles
Nuclear Weapons Can Be Eliminated: One month to NPT Review Conference (April 5, 2010)
