Hiroshima citizens respond with disbelief and anger over remark made about possible use of nuclear weapons
Apr. 1, 2016
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
On March 18, Yusuke Yokobatake, the director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, remarked that he did not believe the use of every kind of nuclear weapon was prohibited under the Constitution. Reacting to Mr. Yokobatake’s comment on the same day, people in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima erupted with cries of disbelief and anger.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, 74, the vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi), said in a somber tone, “I have no choice but to doubt the government’s stance on the abolition of nuclear weapons. I hope those politicians who support possessing nuclear weapons won’t benefit from his remark.” Mr. Mimaki is concerned that this incident could undermine the discussion on nuclear disarmament that will take place at the meeting of foreign ministers, which will be held in Hiroshima prior to the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit).
Kunihiko Sakuma, 71, chair of the other Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, also expressed indignation. “The nation’s policy of the three non-nuclear principles seems to have become an empty slogan,” he said.
From one perspective, Mr. Yokobatake’s comment can be interpreted as “The minimum necessary use of nuclear weapons is possible for Japan’s self-defense.” Takashi Hiraoka, 88, the former mayor of Hiroshima, harshly criticized this view, saying “Given the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, the mainstream trend among the international community is that nuclear weapons shouldn’t be used no matter how large or small those weapons are.” When Mr. Hiraoka served as mayor, he called on the Japanese government to make efforts to create a security framework that does not rely on the nuclear umbrella when he read out the annual Peace Declaration on August 6. “Voices of protest against such comments should be raised from the people of Hiroshima because we can never accept the existence of nuclear weapons in the world,” he said.
Akihiro Kawakami, an assistant professor of constitutional law at Hiroshima City University’s Hiroshima Peace Institute, stressed, “The use of nuclear weapons must be clearly denied by the Constitution.” In addition to his remark which seemed to crack open the door to the use of nuclear arms, Mr. Yokobatake also said that their use was “not a realistic option.” Professor Kawakami observed, “If he said this wasn’t a realistic option, he should have gone on to explain why in greater detail. It’s only natural for the people of Japan to be concerned about the comments he made.”
(Originally published on March 19, 2016)
On March 18, Yusuke Yokobatake, the director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, remarked that he did not believe the use of every kind of nuclear weapon was prohibited under the Constitution. Reacting to Mr. Yokobatake’s comment on the same day, people in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima erupted with cries of disbelief and anger.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, 74, the vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi), said in a somber tone, “I have no choice but to doubt the government’s stance on the abolition of nuclear weapons. I hope those politicians who support possessing nuclear weapons won’t benefit from his remark.” Mr. Mimaki is concerned that this incident could undermine the discussion on nuclear disarmament that will take place at the meeting of foreign ministers, which will be held in Hiroshima prior to the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit).
Kunihiko Sakuma, 71, chair of the other Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, also expressed indignation. “The nation’s policy of the three non-nuclear principles seems to have become an empty slogan,” he said.
From one perspective, Mr. Yokobatake’s comment can be interpreted as “The minimum necessary use of nuclear weapons is possible for Japan’s self-defense.” Takashi Hiraoka, 88, the former mayor of Hiroshima, harshly criticized this view, saying “Given the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, the mainstream trend among the international community is that nuclear weapons shouldn’t be used no matter how large or small those weapons are.” When Mr. Hiraoka served as mayor, he called on the Japanese government to make efforts to create a security framework that does not rely on the nuclear umbrella when he read out the annual Peace Declaration on August 6. “Voices of protest against such comments should be raised from the people of Hiroshima because we can never accept the existence of nuclear weapons in the world,” he said.
Akihiro Kawakami, an assistant professor of constitutional law at Hiroshima City University’s Hiroshima Peace Institute, stressed, “The use of nuclear weapons must be clearly denied by the Constitution.” In addition to his remark which seemed to crack open the door to the use of nuclear arms, Mr. Yokobatake also said that their use was “not a realistic option.” Professor Kawakami observed, “If he said this wasn’t a realistic option, he should have gone on to explain why in greater detail. It’s only natural for the people of Japan to be concerned about the comments he made.”
(Originally published on March 19, 2016)
