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Hibakusha Appeal Network collects signatures in Naka Ward to appeal for nuclear abolition

The Hibakusha Appeal Network, which consists of seven Hiroshima A-bomb survivor groups, gathered signatures on the Motoyasu Bridge in Naka Ward, Hiroshima on May 28. It was recently learned that the United States conducted a subcritical nuclear test, which did not involve an explosion, in February. In response to this news, 30 Hiroshima A-bomb survivors and citizens appealed for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the early implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, the vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi); Kunihiko Sakuma, 74, the chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo; and the signature collecting participants promoted the importance of the signature campaign by saying, “Although this campaign takes a lot of perseverance, each signature will eventually lead to the abolition of nuclear weapons.” They asked Hiroshima citizens and visitors from both home and abroad to provide their signatures. Patricia González, 65, a visitor from Argentina, signed her name and said, “I hope that all nuclear weapons will be abolished and, as a result, a peaceful world will be achieved.”

The Hibakusha Appeal Network was established in March 2018 and is currently composed of 80 groups and individuals. As of May 26, they have collected 501,860 signatures, and are seeking to collect 1.4 million signatures by 2020. They set May 21 to 30 as a major campaign time, and carried out a total of six signature collecting campaigns in various parts of Hiroshima Prefecture. On May 28, they collected 320 signatures in just 30 minutes.

(Originally published on May 29, 2019)

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