A-bomb survivor feels abandoned, criticizes Japanese government for not participating in nuclear ban treaty negotiations
Mar. 30, 2017
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
NEW YORK -- Setsuko Thurlow, 85, an A-bomb survivor from Minami Ward, Hiroshima and now a resident of Toronto, Canada, made a speech at the U.N. conference to negotiate a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. “This treaty can, and will, change the world,” Ms. Thurlow said, conveying her hopes. She added, however, that the speech made by an official from the Japanese government deepened the feelings of A-bomb survivors that they are being continually betrayed and abandoned by their own country, and she condemned the Japanese government for not taking part in the negotiations.
Ms. Thurlow, who has made ongoing efforts to share her experience of the atomic bombing in English, was given a time allocated to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver her speech. She talked about her four-year-old nephew who was fatally burned by the atomic bomb and called on the representatives of all participating nations to advance the process of creating a nuclear ban treaty for those who lost their lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Ms. Thurlow stressed that the nuclear powers and those countries which rely on the nuclear umbrella for their security are clinging to a misguided belief. She slammed the diplomatic policy presented by the Japanese government, which proclaims to play a vital role in nuclear disarmament, including the idea of bringing the leaders of the world’s nations to Hiroshima. The government’s statements, she said, are empty and evasive as long as they continue to take shelter under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
After her speech, Ms. Thurlow told reporters that, despite the fact that Japan is the only country in the world to have been victimized by nuclear weapons, and even though the nation’s foreign minister is from Hiroshima, Japan is still unable to take the lead in abolishing nuclear arms. Beyond feelings of sadness or anger, Ms. Thurlow called this state of affairs “deplorable.”
In the room used for negotiations, the table designated for the representative from Japan has been vacant since March 28. On the table sits a large folded paper crane bearing the message: “Wish you were here.” A member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the NGO which asked Ms. Thurlow to speak at the conference, was reportedly responsible for placing the paper crane there as a symbol of its strong desire that Japan participate in these talks.
(Originally published on March 30, 2017)
NEW YORK -- Setsuko Thurlow, 85, an A-bomb survivor from Minami Ward, Hiroshima and now a resident of Toronto, Canada, made a speech at the U.N. conference to negotiate a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. “This treaty can, and will, change the world,” Ms. Thurlow said, conveying her hopes. She added, however, that the speech made by an official from the Japanese government deepened the feelings of A-bomb survivors that they are being continually betrayed and abandoned by their own country, and she condemned the Japanese government for not taking part in the negotiations.
Ms. Thurlow, who has made ongoing efforts to share her experience of the atomic bombing in English, was given a time allocated to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver her speech. She talked about her four-year-old nephew who was fatally burned by the atomic bomb and called on the representatives of all participating nations to advance the process of creating a nuclear ban treaty for those who lost their lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Ms. Thurlow stressed that the nuclear powers and those countries which rely on the nuclear umbrella for their security are clinging to a misguided belief. She slammed the diplomatic policy presented by the Japanese government, which proclaims to play a vital role in nuclear disarmament, including the idea of bringing the leaders of the world’s nations to Hiroshima. The government’s statements, she said, are empty and evasive as long as they continue to take shelter under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
After her speech, Ms. Thurlow told reporters that, despite the fact that Japan is the only country in the world to have been victimized by nuclear weapons, and even though the nation’s foreign minister is from Hiroshima, Japan is still unable to take the lead in abolishing nuclear arms. Beyond feelings of sadness or anger, Ms. Thurlow called this state of affairs “deplorable.”
In the room used for negotiations, the table designated for the representative from Japan has been vacant since March 28. On the table sits a large folded paper crane bearing the message: “Wish you were here.” A member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the NGO which asked Ms. Thurlow to speak at the conference, was reportedly responsible for placing the paper crane there as a symbol of its strong desire that Japan participate in these talks.
(Originally published on March 30, 2017)
