IPPNW World Congress to be held in Nagasaki October 2–4: First event hosted by Japan in 13 years to address nuclear disarmament, role of physicians
Oct. 1, 2025
by Daisuke Suzuki, Staff Writer
The 24th World Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) will be held in Nagasaki City during the period October 2–4. Under the theme “A World Without Nuclear Weapons—Nagasaki as the Last A-bombed City,” around 320 physicians and medical students from 34 countries and regions are expected to participate in the gathering. With rising global tensions in mind, participants will share the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and discuss their role in promoting nuclear disarmament. The World Congress will be held in Japan for the first time in 13 years, since it was held in Hiroshima City in 2012. Nagasaki City will play host to the Congress for the first time.
The Japan Chapter of IPPNW, the sponsor of the upcoming Word Congress, views the meeting as a good opportunity to convey to the world the reality of damages caused by the atomic bombings in this year marking the 80th anniversary of the bombings by the U.S. military. On the first day, when the Congress is open to the public, Seiichiro Mise, 90, a resident of Nagasaki City, will speak at a plenary session about his experiences in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki at 10 years of age. Masao Tomonaga, 82, a physician and A-bomb survivor from Nagasaki, will also take the stage at the event. Mr. Tomonaga will speak about the effects of the atomic bombings on the human body, drawing on his many years of experience treating A-bomb survivors.
In addition, there will be a program that brings together four Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations, including the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, an international organization of scientists committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Starting the second day, participants will engage in discussions with experts about the ways in which the risk of nuclear weapons use in Northeast Asia can be reduced and examine the nature of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). On the final day, a World Congress declaration will be announced.
In the international community, there is a noticeable decline in momentum for nuclear disarmament. Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine, has hinted at the possibility of use of nuclear weapons. In the region surrounding Japan, China and North Korea are strengthening their nuclear arsenals.
Mr. Tomonaga, who serves as chair of IPPNW’s Nagasaki Chapter, said, “Even during the Cold War, physicians interacted with each at international academic conferences, and those with a sense of urgency about nuclear war volunteered to take the lead in influencing their own countries. With the ‘nuclear taboo’ now being shaken, I want to help, as a leader in civil society, the World Congress become an opportunity to rebuild nuclear disarmament.”
The Chugoku Shimbun interviewed Dr. Satoshi Tashiro, Secretary General of the IPPNW World Congress and a professor of radiobiology at the Hiroshima University Research Institution for Radiation Biology and Medicine (RIRBM; located in Hiroshima City’s Minami Ward), regarding the significance of and outlook for the Congress.
What kind of World Congress are you aiming to create?
We want to share with the participants the fact that the international situation surrounding nuclear weapons today is tense. The hurdles standing in the way of nuclear weapons use are now lower than they were even during the Cold War, when IPPNW was first established. We hope to have the physicians gathered from around the world listen to the voices of A-bomb survivors. The four Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations working toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, including IPPNW, hope to deliver such messages.
On the first day, citizens will be able to participate.
IPPNW members are physicians, but we can work in cooperation with citizens to deliver our message and influence political leaders. We want everyone to consider how nuclear war can be avoided from each of their own perspectives.
What do you think is the significance of holding the World Congress in the A-bombed city of Nagasaki?
As this year marks the 80th year since the atomic bombings, this World Congress might just be the last opportunity to hear directly from A-bomb survivors about the conditions at the time of the atomic bombings and their experiences afterward. In light of the international situation in which China and North Korea are strengthening their nuclear arsenals, we hope that the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University (RECNA) and other organizations can help deepen our discussions on reducing the risk of nuclear weapons use in Northeast Asia.
Many IPPNW members do not have a detailed understanding of the atomic bombings or radiation. It is the responsibility of physicians from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to help others understand the horrors of the atomic bombings from a medical perspective. We want to convey the health effects of the atomic bombings on the human body, which continue even 80 years later.
Please tell us about the current situation and challenges facing IPPNW.
When IPPNW was founded in 1980, the world was in the midst of the Cold War, and there was a strong fear of nuclear war breaking out. The members who had worked so energetically at the inception of the organization have grown older. We need to have younger generations take over our work, but this transition is not going so smoothly.
In recent years, the range of agenda items for the group has expanded to include such issues as nuclear power plants and climate change, which means that reaching a consensus has become difficult. At the upcoming World Congress held in the A-bombed city, we hope to return to the basics and focus our discussions on the prevention of nuclear war.
Keywords
The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)
The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) was founded in 1980, during the Cold War period, mainly by physicians from the United States and the former Soviet Union, both nuclear weapons states. As an organization composed of medical experts, IPPNW aims to disseminate knowledge about the effects of exposure to radiation with the aim of preventing nuclear war. The organization was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. World Congress gatherings have been held once every one-to-three years, except during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Originally published on October 1, 2025)
The 24th World Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) will be held in Nagasaki City during the period October 2–4. Under the theme “A World Without Nuclear Weapons—Nagasaki as the Last A-bombed City,” around 320 physicians and medical students from 34 countries and regions are expected to participate in the gathering. With rising global tensions in mind, participants will share the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and discuss their role in promoting nuclear disarmament. The World Congress will be held in Japan for the first time in 13 years, since it was held in Hiroshima City in 2012. Nagasaki City will play host to the Congress for the first time.
The Japan Chapter of IPPNW, the sponsor of the upcoming Word Congress, views the meeting as a good opportunity to convey to the world the reality of damages caused by the atomic bombings in this year marking the 80th anniversary of the bombings by the U.S. military. On the first day, when the Congress is open to the public, Seiichiro Mise, 90, a resident of Nagasaki City, will speak at a plenary session about his experiences in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki at 10 years of age. Masao Tomonaga, 82, a physician and A-bomb survivor from Nagasaki, will also take the stage at the event. Mr. Tomonaga will speak about the effects of the atomic bombings on the human body, drawing on his many years of experience treating A-bomb survivors.
In addition, there will be a program that brings together four Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations, including the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, an international organization of scientists committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Starting the second day, participants will engage in discussions with experts about the ways in which the risk of nuclear weapons use in Northeast Asia can be reduced and examine the nature of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). On the final day, a World Congress declaration will be announced.
In the international community, there is a noticeable decline in momentum for nuclear disarmament. Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine, has hinted at the possibility of use of nuclear weapons. In the region surrounding Japan, China and North Korea are strengthening their nuclear arsenals.
Mr. Tomonaga, who serves as chair of IPPNW’s Nagasaki Chapter, said, “Even during the Cold War, physicians interacted with each at international academic conferences, and those with a sense of urgency about nuclear war volunteered to take the lead in influencing their own countries. With the ‘nuclear taboo’ now being shaken, I want to help, as a leader in civil society, the World Congress become an opportunity to rebuild nuclear disarmament.”
Sharing tense international situation: Interview with Dr. Satoshi Tashiro, Secretary General of IPPNW World Congress
The Chugoku Shimbun interviewed Dr. Satoshi Tashiro, Secretary General of the IPPNW World Congress and a professor of radiobiology at the Hiroshima University Research Institution for Radiation Biology and Medicine (RIRBM; located in Hiroshima City’s Minami Ward), regarding the significance of and outlook for the Congress.
What kind of World Congress are you aiming to create?
We want to share with the participants the fact that the international situation surrounding nuclear weapons today is tense. The hurdles standing in the way of nuclear weapons use are now lower than they were even during the Cold War, when IPPNW was first established. We hope to have the physicians gathered from around the world listen to the voices of A-bomb survivors. The four Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations working toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, including IPPNW, hope to deliver such messages.
On the first day, citizens will be able to participate.
IPPNW members are physicians, but we can work in cooperation with citizens to deliver our message and influence political leaders. We want everyone to consider how nuclear war can be avoided from each of their own perspectives.
What do you think is the significance of holding the World Congress in the A-bombed city of Nagasaki?
As this year marks the 80th year since the atomic bombings, this World Congress might just be the last opportunity to hear directly from A-bomb survivors about the conditions at the time of the atomic bombings and their experiences afterward. In light of the international situation in which China and North Korea are strengthening their nuclear arsenals, we hope that the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University (RECNA) and other organizations can help deepen our discussions on reducing the risk of nuclear weapons use in Northeast Asia.
Many IPPNW members do not have a detailed understanding of the atomic bombings or radiation. It is the responsibility of physicians from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to help others understand the horrors of the atomic bombings from a medical perspective. We want to convey the health effects of the atomic bombings on the human body, which continue even 80 years later.
Please tell us about the current situation and challenges facing IPPNW.
When IPPNW was founded in 1980, the world was in the midst of the Cold War, and there was a strong fear of nuclear war breaking out. The members who had worked so energetically at the inception of the organization have grown older. We need to have younger generations take over our work, but this transition is not going so smoothly.
In recent years, the range of agenda items for the group has expanded to include such issues as nuclear power plants and climate change, which means that reaching a consensus has become difficult. At the upcoming World Congress held in the A-bombed city, we hope to return to the basics and focus our discussions on the prevention of nuclear war.
Keywords
The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)
The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) was founded in 1980, during the Cold War period, mainly by physicians from the United States and the former Soviet Union, both nuclear weapons states. As an organization composed of medical experts, IPPNW aims to disseminate knowledge about the effects of exposure to radiation with the aim of preventing nuclear war. The organization was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. World Congress gatherings have been held once every one-to-three years, except during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Originally published on October 1, 2025)
