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People in Hiroshima react with outrage to fifth nuclear test by North Korea

by Hiroaki Watanabe, Staff Writer

On September 9, A-bomb survivors and citizens of the Chugoku region in western Japan voiced their outrage over North Korea’s fifth nuclear test, conducted on that day. “Why does North Korea continue to trample on the wishes of the people of the A-bombed city?” was the common theme of condemnation. Some also expressed concern about this nuclear test by North Korea, Japan’s neighbor, which assumed a tinge of actual warfare.

“This is absolutely ludicrous. It makes my blood boil,” said Sunao Tsuboi, 91, the chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo). He denounced North Korea in strong terms as he responded to questions from the press at the Hidankyo office in Naka Ward. Mr. Tsuboi called it an act of violence in the midst of growing momentum for advancing a world without nuclear weapons, which has followed U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May. “North Korea is moving forward with its own selfish logic,” Mr. Tsuboi added. “I want them to come to their senses.”

That evening, in response to a call by the Hiroshima Peace Liaison Conference for Nuclear Abolition, which consists of 12 organizations including Hidankyo and the Hiroshima Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), 85 people gathered for a sit-in in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, located in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, to protest the nuclear test. Mr. Tsuboi, too, sat in the front row and held onto a banner.

Citizens on the street also shared feelings of anger. Shinji Yamada, 57, a company employee and resident of Nishio in Aichi Prefecture, who was visiting the Peace Memorial Museum, said, “While discussions for nuclear abolition are going on in the world, I can’t understand why North Korea continues to develop such a horrible weapon.” Others, meanwhile, expressed deeper fears. Ryuichiro Yamada, 67, a part-time high school teacher and resident of Minami Ward, called for Japan to strengthen its own defenses, saying, “North Korea continues to launch missiles, while China is aggressively moving into the Pacific Ocean. I think the international order in East Asia is becoming chaotic and dangerous.”

In Iwakuni, the nearby city that hosts the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, which has plans to deploy new-generation combat planes, Seishiro Nakamoto, 68, appealed for action by the Japanese government. “The U.S. base here could be a target for attacks by North Korea,” he said. “To ensure the safety of the people of Iwakuni, I want the Japanese government to do its utmost to gather information.”

Some strongly urge the international community to take action so that it can persuade North Korea to again take part in talks. Kim Jin Ho, 70, the director of the Council of Atom-bombed Koreans in Hiroshima, argued, “I hope the United States, South Korea, and Japan can find a way to negotiate with North Korea and create conditions that will prevent it from carrying out another nuclear test.” Satoru Fujii, 69, chairperson of the Friends of Fukuyama Atomic Bomb Survivors Association, commented, “All nations involved should be aligned and united behind the idea of nuclear abolition.”

Yoshio Hara, 89, a resident of Matsue and chairperson of an A-bomb survivors’ group in Shimane Prefecture, argued, “The Japanese government has a responsibility to appeal to the world that nations must not rely on nuclear deterrence.” Kunihiko Sakuma, 71, the chair of the other Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, said, “Japan, the A-bombed nation, has been unable to move in a clear direction to help make Northeast Asia a nuclear-free zone.” In a statement that Mr. Sakuma’s group issued jointly with the Hiroshima prefectural chapters of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo), they urged the Japanese government, which does not view favorably the idea of creating a nuclear weapons convention, to spearhead discussions that can lead to the establishment of this agreement.

Hiroshima mayor and governor send letters of protest

Meanwhile, on that day, both Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki have sent letters of protest to Kim Jong-un, the chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, who ordered the nuclear test. Mr. Matsui commented, “This is a reckless and unacceptable act, which flies in the face of the A-bomb survivors’ desire for a peaceful world.” He urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal immediately and engage in cooperative talks with the international community.

Mr. Matsui responded to questions from reporters at City Hall. Referring to the fact that U.S. President Obama called for the courage to pursue a world without nuclear weapons in the speech he delivered during his visit to Hiroshima in May, Mr. Matsui said, “We are now in a critical stage of determining how the nuclear powers should respond to realize the ideal state of a world without nuclear weapons.”

Mayors for Peace, for which Mr. Matsui serves as president, and Masanori Nagata, the chairperson of the Hiroshima City Council, also sent letters of protest.

Mr. Yuzaki and Shin Uda, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Prefecture Council, jointly signed their letter. Expressing strong concerns, they said, “This will accelerate the nuclear development efforts of the nuclear powers and other nations which seek to hold nuclear weapons, and jeopardize the peace and stability of the world.”

(Originally published on September 12, 2016)

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