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Seeking a path to peace this summer Anniversary of A-bombing of Hiroshima tomorrow

by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer

In an instant, children lost the mothers and fathers who had brought them up with loving care and parents lost the sons and daughters they had devotedly raised. Those who survived the atomic bombing still suffer both mentally and physically. Anyone who contemplates the lives that were lost to the A-bomb 69 years ago must feel compelled to reject war and the existence of nuclear weapons. This summer the government switched its stance to approve the exercise of the right of collective defense. As the administration moves to strengthen its posture of defending the nation’s security on the back of military force and the “nuclear umbrella” of the United States, Hiroshima will mark the anniversary of the atomic bombing on August 6.

Those who suffered pre-natal exposure to radiation at the time of the A-bombing established a nationwide organization in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward on August 5. They are the youngest of the A-bomb survivors, whose lives are nearly as long as the post-atomic bomb era. Although they have no recollection of the event, they tell of the joys and sorrows they and their mothers experienced in the years following the A-bombing and emphasize the importance of peace.

As of the end of March, 192,719 people held Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificates. This is the first time the total has fallen below 200,000 since issuance of the certificates began in 1957. The average age of the A-bomb survivors is 79.44 years. The day when no one is left who directly experienced the A-bombing will inevitably come. Tracing the history of the personal belongings left behind by victims and the buildings that survived the atomic bombing, the horror that unfolded under the mushroom cloud emerges. We must find as many ways as possible to convey the survivors’ recollections to the next generation.

The path to a world without nuclear weapons, which is the fervent desire of the aging survivors, is not yet in sight. The governments of non-nuclear nations and non-governmental organizations have focused on the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and are working to hasten their abolition.

In October of last year Japan signed an international joint statement citing the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and declaring that they must not be used. It was the fourth such statement and the first to be signed by Japan. The calls for approval by atomic bomb survivors and the voices of ordinary citizens put pressure on the government in no small measure, but the joint statement made no reference to outlawing nuclear weapons.

Nor has the government changed its security policy, which relies on the nuclear umbrella. Debate on outlawing nuclear weapons was skirted at the ministerial meeting of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative, a coalition of 12 states including Japan, held in Hiroshima in April. And in July a Cabinet resolution allowing the exercise of the right of collective defense was passed.

The concept of deterrence is based on the premise that once an emergency occurs, it is imperative to retaliate against the other country. The A-bomb survivors and others who have experienced war cannot dispel their fears that the day will come when a threat is a threat no longer and nuclear weapons may be used. In the Peace Declaration he will read at the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6, Mayor Kazumi Matsui will press for nations to shift to a security policy based on trust and dialogue between other nations.

In the 69 years since the end of the war, Japan as a nation has neither possessed nuclear weapons nor engaged in war. This was the proper path to take. There is still time. Along with the A-bomb survivors, we must renew our determination to pursue peace under Japan’s Peace Constitution.

(Originally published on August 5, 2014)

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