IPPNW World Congress to open in Hiroshima August 24
Aug. 23, 2012
by Rie Nii, Staff Writer
In conjunction with the World Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) to be held August 24-26 at the International Conference Center Hiroshima, young people will gather to further the debate on the abolition of nuclear weapons. Prior to the World Congress, a two-day conference for medical students and young doctors will be held on August 22 and 23. The Youth Summit for high school and college students will get underway at 2:40 p.m. on August 25. These events will also be held at the International Conference Center.
About 120 medical students and young doctors from 25 countries, including the United States, Germany, Switzerland, India and Nicaragua, have signed up to participate in the conference. Through activity reports and workshops they will discuss nuclear weapons and health from a scholarly viewpoint and put together plans for future activities.
The keynote speeches will be delivered by Masako Nakamoto, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and a former obstetrician and gynecologist, and Steven Leeper, chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. Students and young doctors will present activity reports on subjects such as a project to pass on accounts of the harm caused by nuclear weapons and a bike tour to raise awareness of the harmful effects of radiation and to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The riders left Nagasaki for Hiroshima on August 9. Fourteen different topics will be discussed in workshops. Plans for future activities will be announced on August 23.
Ryuma Kayano, 27, a neuropsychiatrist at Nagasaki University Hospital, is chair of the organizing committee. “Taking the opportunity of gathering in Hiroshima, I’d like to consider the issue of nuclear weapons and share ways to tie this to future activities,” he said. “And I would like to continue these efforts in each country.”
The theme of the Youth Summit is “Why Do Nuclear Weapons Continue to Exist? Considering This Issue in Hiroshima.” Participants will discuss why nuclear weapons continue to exist more than 67 years after the atomic bombs were dropped and what young people should do in the future.
Seven high school and college students from the U.S., India, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Japan will take the platform. Each of them will give a speech on the reasons why nuclear weapons have not been abolished and what they can do. Afterwards participants will break up into groups of six or seven, share their opinions in Japanese or English and then summarize their conclusions.
In the run-up to the Student Congress, Arthur Binard, 45, a Hiroshima-based American poet, gave talks at preliminary seminars on nuclear weapons and nuclear power held in Hiroshima in June and July. Mr. Binard will also participate in a preliminary meeting with panelists to be held at 3 p.m. on August 23 at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Sorata Watanabe, 17, a senior at Hiroshima Johoku High School, is chair of the organizing committee. “By sharing opinions and views with people from overseas, I would like to change their views on peace in a positive way and get more people around the world involved in working toward global peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons,” he said.
Participation in the Youth Summit is free. Simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation will be provided. For further information call the office at (082) 232-7211.
Prior to the Youth Summit Arthur Binard talked about the relationship between the peaceful use of the atom and the atomic bombings in preliminary seminars held at the Hiroshima Medical Hall in June and July. The following is an outline of his remarks.
I’m from the state of Michigan in the United States. In junior high and high school I was taught that if the atomic bombs had not been dropped to end the war, 1 million American soldiers would have died. I was told that the atomic bombs were dropped to preserve our livelihoods and our lives. It sounded right, but at the same time I wondered why two bombs were dropped.
The Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb was conducted covertly using tax money. This was in violation of the Constitution. So the government had to justify the project. This led to the campaign to convince people that the atomic bombings brought about the end of the war. This campaign also fanned fears of the Soviet Union as an enemy.
The people at the top never really intended to launch a nuclear war because a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union would have led to a “nuclear winter.” In order to maintain the nuclear vested-interest structure as a business, a campaign was launched promoting nuclear power as a “peaceful use of the atom.” Japan also participated in this effort. Nuclear reactors are installations that manufacture plutonium, which can be used for nuclear weapons. And final disposal of the plutonium that is made is not possible.
Nuclear weapons are said to act as a deterrent, but if we seriously consider national defense, we can’t have nuclear power plants because they are vulnerable to attacks by conventional weapons or light aircraft.
High school students, who are not part of the vested-interest structure, can take action and pass on a message. It is high school students who can seriously consider the future 50 years from now. Through the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I would like you to look at the present, such as Fukushima and Three Mile Island.
(Originally published on August 20, 2012)
Anti-nuclear gathering Young people also preparing
120 people from 25 countries to draw up plans for future activities
Medical students’ conference on August 22 and 23
In conjunction with the World Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) to be held August 24-26 at the International Conference Center Hiroshima, young people will gather to further the debate on the abolition of nuclear weapons. Prior to the World Congress, a two-day conference for medical students and young doctors will be held on August 22 and 23. The Youth Summit for high school and college students will get underway at 2:40 p.m. on August 25. These events will also be held at the International Conference Center.
About 120 medical students and young doctors from 25 countries, including the United States, Germany, Switzerland, India and Nicaragua, have signed up to participate in the conference. Through activity reports and workshops they will discuss nuclear weapons and health from a scholarly viewpoint and put together plans for future activities.
The keynote speeches will be delivered by Masako Nakamoto, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and a former obstetrician and gynecologist, and Steven Leeper, chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. Students and young doctors will present activity reports on subjects such as a project to pass on accounts of the harm caused by nuclear weapons and a bike tour to raise awareness of the harmful effects of radiation and to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The riders left Nagasaki for Hiroshima on August 9. Fourteen different topics will be discussed in workshops. Plans for future activities will be announced on August 23.
Ryuma Kayano, 27, a neuropsychiatrist at Nagasaki University Hospital, is chair of the organizing committee. “Taking the opportunity of gathering in Hiroshima, I’d like to consider the issue of nuclear weapons and share ways to tie this to future activities,” he said. “And I would like to continue these efforts in each country.”
Examining why nuclear weapons continue to exist
Youth Summit on August 25
The theme of the Youth Summit is “Why Do Nuclear Weapons Continue to Exist? Considering This Issue in Hiroshima.” Participants will discuss why nuclear weapons continue to exist more than 67 years after the atomic bombs were dropped and what young people should do in the future.
Seven high school and college students from the U.S., India, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Japan will take the platform. Each of them will give a speech on the reasons why nuclear weapons have not been abolished and what they can do. Afterwards participants will break up into groups of six or seven, share their opinions in Japanese or English and then summarize their conclusions.
In the run-up to the Student Congress, Arthur Binard, 45, a Hiroshima-based American poet, gave talks at preliminary seminars on nuclear weapons and nuclear power held in Hiroshima in June and July. Mr. Binard will also participate in a preliminary meeting with panelists to be held at 3 p.m. on August 23 at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Sorata Watanabe, 17, a senior at Hiroshima Johoku High School, is chair of the organizing committee. “By sharing opinions and views with people from overseas, I would like to change their views on peace in a positive way and get more people around the world involved in working toward global peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons,” he said.
Participation in the Youth Summit is free. Simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation will be provided. For further information call the office at (082) 232-7211.
Promotion of nuclear power by vested interests
Summary of talk by Arthur Binard
Prior to the Youth Summit Arthur Binard talked about the relationship between the peaceful use of the atom and the atomic bombings in preliminary seminars held at the Hiroshima Medical Hall in June and July. The following is an outline of his remarks.
I’m from the state of Michigan in the United States. In junior high and high school I was taught that if the atomic bombs had not been dropped to end the war, 1 million American soldiers would have died. I was told that the atomic bombs were dropped to preserve our livelihoods and our lives. It sounded right, but at the same time I wondered why two bombs were dropped.
The Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb was conducted covertly using tax money. This was in violation of the Constitution. So the government had to justify the project. This led to the campaign to convince people that the atomic bombings brought about the end of the war. This campaign also fanned fears of the Soviet Union as an enemy.
The people at the top never really intended to launch a nuclear war because a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union would have led to a “nuclear winter.” In order to maintain the nuclear vested-interest structure as a business, a campaign was launched promoting nuclear power as a “peaceful use of the atom.” Japan also participated in this effort. Nuclear reactors are installations that manufacture plutonium, which can be used for nuclear weapons. And final disposal of the plutonium that is made is not possible.
Nuclear weapons are said to act as a deterrent, but if we seriously consider national defense, we can’t have nuclear power plants because they are vulnerable to attacks by conventional weapons or light aircraft.
High school students, who are not part of the vested-interest structure, can take action and pass on a message. It is high school students who can seriously consider the future 50 years from now. Through the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I would like you to look at the present, such as Fukushima and Three Mile Island.
(Originally published on August 20, 2012)
