×

News

Experts share impressions of Pope Francis’s visit to Japan

by Rie Nii, Uzaemonnaotsuka Tokai, and Makoto Shiraishi, Staff Writers

Akira Kawasaki, 51, member of the international steering committee for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization

Pope embodies importance of engaging in dialogue and accepting differences

It would be better for us to consider the messages that he delivered from the two A-bombed cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as a set. In Nagasaki, he explicitly referred to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and sent a message to politicians and the international community. In Hiroshima, he instead made an emotional appeal in which he reached out to people as individuals, which was very moving.

In particular, he stressed the worldwide meaning and value that Hiroshima holds by mentioning three moral imperatives, which are to remember, to journey together, and to protect. He also expressed the wish that people in the A-bombed city take action without forgetting the memories of Hiroshima. In addition, he greeted representatives from other religious groups, and showed sensitivity in his encounters with the many A-bomb survivors in attendance, which embodied the importance of engaging in dialogue and being accepting of differences.

The messages that he delivered while in Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be reported by the media throughout the world, which will inspire many people and prompt them to take action. In order to have the nuclear weapons ban treaty come into effect, there needs to be ratification from 17 more nations to reach the target of 50 nations. I hope this will help fuel momentum for ratification.

Hiroshi Harada, 80, former director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

We must link the Pope’s message to our own action

The message from the head of the Roman Catholic Church that was conveyed from the A-bombed cities was delivered to more than 1.3 billion followers around the world. Each of them can then become engaged in the politics of their nation. Once again, I was able to recognize the importance of solidarity in the world through the power of religion.

Still, I felt a little frustrated, too. Though the Pope appealed forcefully for “a world without nuclear weapons,” the Japanese government has turned its back on the TPNW. The government of the A-bombed nation is not heeding the Pope’s message.

We should not conclude the Pope’s visit to the A-bombed cities by merely saying, “It was good.” How each citizen of the A-bombed cities will squarely take in his message and link it to their own action will now be tested. I would like the Japanese government to change its stance regarding the TPNW.

Next year we will mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings. There is little time left for elderly A-bomb survivors. We have to speed up our efforts to hand down the peace activities taking place in the A-bombed cities to the next generation.

Shigeru Tokuyasu, 68, former minister at the Japanese Embassy to the Holy See

Impact on the leaders of nuclear weapon states is uncertain

The Pope sent a strong message to the nuclear weapon states by urging them to change the conditions where security is maintained through nuclear arms. I believe he would like to end the stagnant conditions involving nuclear disarmament efforts, including the expiration of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia, and advance the world a step further toward the realization of nuclear abolition.

However, the impact of his message on the leaders of the world’s nuclear powers is uncertain. I don’t think it will have any influence at all on U.S. President Donald Trump because Mr. Trump believes in “Peace through strength.” The number of Catholics in the United States is growing so it may be possible to get him to better understand the need for nuclear disarmament through next year’s presidential election.

As for next spring’s Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Pope’s message likely won’t create immediate progress there. The Japanese government needs to work on initiatives that can heighten interest in this issue among people in and out of Japan and fuel debate about the actual threat posed by nuclear weapons.

(Originally published on November 25, 2019)

Archives