By Tomomitsu Miyazaki

A shaky peace-Dialogues become heavier

At the 6th, Hiroshima will greet the 61st anniversary of the day the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city. Having recovered from their calamity, the aging survivors continue to demand that the world abolish the "absolute evil" of nuclear weapons. However, we can see no road. Tensions and war enflame Asia, the Middle East, and other regions. This A-bombed city has a growing responsibility find ways of passing on the "spirit of Hiroshima," which values not raw power but dialogue and reason, and to increase the numbers of fellow travelers on this road.

As of the end of March, there were 259,556 survivors throughout Japan. In twenty years their numbers have fallen by 100,000 and have now slipped below 260,000. Their average age is now 73.85, which is .76 years higher than it was at the end of March 2005. Even the youngest survivors suffering from A-bomb-induced microcephaly are already over 60.

Events around the world arouse the alarm of the survivors. Our ceaseless worry over nuclear proliferation and conflict is now fanned by Iran's nuclear program, missile testing by the self-declared nuclear-weapon state, and Israel's attack on Lebanon.

In Japan, trampling on the desires of local residents, the U.S. military is proceeding with its restructuring of its forces stationed in Japan, symbolized by the deployment of carrier-based aircraft to the US Naval base in Iwakuni City. Events continue to shake the foundation of the post-war peace that emerged from the A-bomb experience.

In a questionnaire survey conducted by the Chugoku Shimbun targeting A-bomb survivor organizations around the country, a striking number of respondents indicated that they expected to continue their activities "another ten years at the most." That can also be interpreted as an exhortation to us to hurry in taking on the A-bomb legacy and abolishing nuclear weapons.

On August 4, it was once again demonstrated that the atomic bombings are not a thing of the past. A decision handed down in the class action lawsuit seeking recognition of disorders as A-bomb-induced stated that many aspects of physical effects induced by radiation in the case of in-utero exposure and other exposures are not yet scientifically well understood. The decision posited the existence of a "wall of knowledge." There is no end to the physical effects of radiation.

In his Peace Declaration on August 6, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba will seek to impress upon cities and people around the world that now is the time has come again to wake up and act. "That day" has come again for the A-bombed city that should be taking the lead. Enveloped in mourning and hopes for peace, let us quietly reaffirm the role we must play.

(Caption)The Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims bustles with visitors from around Japan and around the world. That quiet day of prayer is coming around again to the A-bombed city of Hiroshima.-Naka-ku, Hiroshima (Photo by Kazuhiro Sakata)