Documenting Hiroshima 80 years after A-bombing: In May 1978, First UN Special Session on Disarmament
May 1, 2025
by Michio Shimotaka, Staff Writer
On May 23, 1978, the First Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament began at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The group of non-aligned nations, unaffiliated with either side during the East-West Cold War, called for the session to be convened in an attempt to put a halt to the ongoing arms race, including nuclear weapons.
The session was also attended by nuclear weapons states. In his remarks, U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale asserted that the United States would not use nuclear weapons for any purpose other than self-defense. Despite France sending its president and the Soviet Union its foreign minister in a show of a certain level of commitment toward disarmament, agreement on specific measures proved difficult. The session, which had been scheduled to culminate on June 28, was extended by two days. Japan dispatched Foreign Minister Sunao Sonoda to the gathering.
In conjunction with the holding of the Special Session, a total of 500 representatives of civil society, including from the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), the Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), and other organizations, traveled to the United States. A-bomb survivors from Hiroshima also participated. On May 27, a demonstration was held in downtown New York. The chants of “No More Hibakusha,” resonating with the anti-nuclear movement of Western citizens terrified by the threat of nuclear war, would grow louder around the world.
(Originally published on May 1, 2025)
On May 23, 1978, the First Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament began at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The group of non-aligned nations, unaffiliated with either side during the East-West Cold War, called for the session to be convened in an attempt to put a halt to the ongoing arms race, including nuclear weapons.
The session was also attended by nuclear weapons states. In his remarks, U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale asserted that the United States would not use nuclear weapons for any purpose other than self-defense. Despite France sending its president and the Soviet Union its foreign minister in a show of a certain level of commitment toward disarmament, agreement on specific measures proved difficult. The session, which had been scheduled to culminate on June 28, was extended by two days. Japan dispatched Foreign Minister Sunao Sonoda to the gathering.
In conjunction with the holding of the Special Session, a total of 500 representatives of civil society, including from the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), the Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), and other organizations, traveled to the United States. A-bomb survivors from Hiroshima also participated. On May 27, a demonstration was held in downtown New York. The chants of “No More Hibakusha,” resonating with the anti-nuclear movement of Western citizens terrified by the threat of nuclear war, would grow louder around the world.
(Originally published on May 1, 2025)
