NPT Review Conference collapses: A-bomb survivors decry “worst possible outcome”
May 29, 2015
by Kohei Okata and Kazuo Murakami, Staff Writers
A “world free of nuclear weapons,” the long-standing aspiration of the people of the A-bombed cities, was not to be. The 2015 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) collapsed and ended without adopting the proposed final document. On May 23, A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima erupted with cries of despair and anger.
The average age of the A-bomb survivors in Japan is now nearly 80. They have spoken out about their experiences of the atomic bombing, seared on their bodies and into their memories, and have made persistent appeals to highlight the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 73, who visited United Nations headquarters in New York in conjunction with the Review Conference, said, “This is the worst possible outcome. Is it impossible to eliminate all nuclear weapons during the lifetime of the A-bomb survivors?” Mr. Mimaki is the vice chairman of one faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi.
“An outcome like this is incompatible with the principle of not producing any more A-bomb victims or survivors,” said Kunihiko Sakuma. Mr. Sakuma, 70, is the vice chairman of the other faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, led by acting chairman Kazuo Okoshi, and he also visited New York for the Review Conference. To support Israel, which is a non-signatory to the NPT and is believed to possess nuclear weapons, the United States refused to convene an international conference to discuss the denuclearization of the Middle East, and this caused the conference to crumble. Mr. Sakuma stressed, “The only way to create a world free of nuclear weapons is to change the concept of relying on nuclear deterrence for security.”
A group of young people also traveled to New York to take part in the Review Conference. Momoka Namikawa, 16, a second-year student at Hiroshima Jogakuin High School and a resident of Saeki Ward, Hiroshima, pointed out how the call for world leaders and young people to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki was deleted at an early stage in the preparations of the draft for the final document, due to opposition from China. She expressed her concern by saying, “If a country which has nuclear weapons takes that sort of stance, we’ll never be able to abolish them. I wonder whether these countries still don’t fully understand the terror of nuclear weapons.”
After the conclusion of the 2015 NPT Review Conference, what approaches should the A-bombed nation of Japan and its A-bombed cities take toward the abolition of nuclear weapons? Yasuyoshi Komizo, 67, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, pointed out, with appreciation, that the draft of the final document refers to the establishment of a working group and legal provisions at the session of the U.N. General Assembly scheduled for September. He said, “The working group will be a platform for countries with different positions to pursue discussions for a legal ban on nuclear weapons. How to reach this goal will be our next challenge. I’d like to expand the Mayors for Peace network to ensure that political leaders will accelerate their efforts.”
Haruko Moritaki, 76, co-chair of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, said, “Civil society has to come up with new initiatives to advance the adoption of a nuclear weapons convention. I hope that the Japanese government will withdraw from the U.S. nuclear umbrella and play a leading role in building a world free of nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on May 24, 2015)
A “world free of nuclear weapons,” the long-standing aspiration of the people of the A-bombed cities, was not to be. The 2015 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) collapsed and ended without adopting the proposed final document. On May 23, A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima erupted with cries of despair and anger.
The average age of the A-bomb survivors in Japan is now nearly 80. They have spoken out about their experiences of the atomic bombing, seared on their bodies and into their memories, and have made persistent appeals to highlight the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 73, who visited United Nations headquarters in New York in conjunction with the Review Conference, said, “This is the worst possible outcome. Is it impossible to eliminate all nuclear weapons during the lifetime of the A-bomb survivors?” Mr. Mimaki is the vice chairman of one faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi.
“An outcome like this is incompatible with the principle of not producing any more A-bomb victims or survivors,” said Kunihiko Sakuma. Mr. Sakuma, 70, is the vice chairman of the other faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, led by acting chairman Kazuo Okoshi, and he also visited New York for the Review Conference. To support Israel, which is a non-signatory to the NPT and is believed to possess nuclear weapons, the United States refused to convene an international conference to discuss the denuclearization of the Middle East, and this caused the conference to crumble. Mr. Sakuma stressed, “The only way to create a world free of nuclear weapons is to change the concept of relying on nuclear deterrence for security.”
A group of young people also traveled to New York to take part in the Review Conference. Momoka Namikawa, 16, a second-year student at Hiroshima Jogakuin High School and a resident of Saeki Ward, Hiroshima, pointed out how the call for world leaders and young people to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki was deleted at an early stage in the preparations of the draft for the final document, due to opposition from China. She expressed her concern by saying, “If a country which has nuclear weapons takes that sort of stance, we’ll never be able to abolish them. I wonder whether these countries still don’t fully understand the terror of nuclear weapons.”
After the conclusion of the 2015 NPT Review Conference, what approaches should the A-bombed nation of Japan and its A-bombed cities take toward the abolition of nuclear weapons? Yasuyoshi Komizo, 67, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, pointed out, with appreciation, that the draft of the final document refers to the establishment of a working group and legal provisions at the session of the U.N. General Assembly scheduled for September. He said, “The working group will be a platform for countries with different positions to pursue discussions for a legal ban on nuclear weapons. How to reach this goal will be our next challenge. I’d like to expand the Mayors for Peace network to ensure that political leaders will accelerate their efforts.”
Haruko Moritaki, 76, co-chair of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, said, “Civil society has to come up with new initiatives to advance the adoption of a nuclear weapons convention. I hope that the Japanese government will withdraw from the U.S. nuclear umbrella and play a leading role in building a world free of nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on May 24, 2015)
