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Hidankyo’s general meeting reconfirms seeking U.S. apology for A-bombings

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

On June 15, the two-day annual general meeting of Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, which will commemorate the 60th anniversary of its founding in August, opened in Tokyo. On the first day of the meeting, there was discussion around the fact that the letter of request sent to U.S. President Barack Obama by Hidankyo prior to his visit to Hiroshima did not ask for an apology to the A-bomb survivors. Terumi Tanaka, the secretary general of Hidankyo, reaffirmed, “The organization’s policy of seeking an apology remains the same.”

Some 90 representatives from various prefectural associations have gathered for the general meeting. In discussion that took place after a report on the activities undertaken over the last fiscal year, one of the participants wondered aloud if the confederation had held back from pursuing its true objective out of concern that a request for an apology would prevent Mr. Obama from visiting the A-bombed city. Citing the “Basic Demands of the Atomic Bomb Survivors,” a document created by Hidankyo in 1984 that forms the basis of the organization’s activities and which demands that the U.S. government apologize for the atomic bombings, the participant asserted that not having sought an apology contradicts the organization’s policy.

In response, Mr. Tanaka said, “The dropping of the atomic bombs was equal to the use of criminal weapons, so it’s natural that we seek an apology from the U.S. government.” Referring to the “Basic Demands of the Atomic Bomb Survivors,” which urges the U.S. government to take the lead in advancing the abolition of nuclear arms as proof of an apology to the survivors, he also mentioned that, at the meeting prior to Mr. Obama’s visit, there was a mood in which the letter of request need not ask for an apology if the visit could help abolish nuclear weapons. Some participants at the general meeting expressed their understanding and also responded to Mr. Tanaka’s remarks by saying that the U.S. government should first present a roadmap for eliminating nuclear arms.

On June 16, the second day of the two-day meeting, Nihon Hidankyo will determine what action policies and projects it will pursue to mark the 60th anniversary of its founding.

(Originally published on June 16, 2016)

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