ICAN treaty coordinator visits Hiroshima, seeks support of mayor for nuclear weapons ban treaty
Jul. 21, 2018
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
On July 20, Tim Wright, 32, the treaty coordinator for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), arrived in Hiroshima. ICAN is the non-governmental organization (NGO) that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its significant contributions toward the establishment of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations. Mr. Wright is one of the founding members of ICAN.
He has come to Japan to take part in an international symposium that will be held on July 22, organized by Hiroshima City University, the Chugoku Shimbun, and the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) at Nagasaki University. He paid a visit to Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at Hiroshima City Hall and stressed that he believes the day will surely come when Japan, a nation currently under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, changes its policy to reflect public opinion. Mr. Wright then asked Mr. Matsui to help persuade the Japanese government to sign the nuclear weapons ban treaty by mentioning it in the Peace Declaration the mayor will make this year on August 6.
Mr. Wright also met with Hidehiko Yuzaki, the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture. He also paid a visit to two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), and expressed his admiration for the groups’ longtime antinuclear activities led by the A-bomb survivors.
(Originally published on July 21, 2018)
On July 20, Tim Wright, 32, the treaty coordinator for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), arrived in Hiroshima. ICAN is the non-governmental organization (NGO) that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its significant contributions toward the establishment of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations. Mr. Wright is one of the founding members of ICAN.
He has come to Japan to take part in an international symposium that will be held on July 22, organized by Hiroshima City University, the Chugoku Shimbun, and the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) at Nagasaki University. He paid a visit to Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at Hiroshima City Hall and stressed that he believes the day will surely come when Japan, a nation currently under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, changes its policy to reflect public opinion. Mr. Wright then asked Mr. Matsui to help persuade the Japanese government to sign the nuclear weapons ban treaty by mentioning it in the Peace Declaration the mayor will make this year on August 6.
Mr. Wright also met with Hidehiko Yuzaki, the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture. He also paid a visit to two Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), and expressed his admiration for the groups’ longtime antinuclear activities led by the A-bomb survivors.
(Originally published on July 21, 2018)