Young people actively taking part in March 1 Bikini Day action

This year's Bikini Day events in Shizuoka were attended by many young people shouting, "Never should such a tragedy as the 1954 March 1 Bikini Incident be repeated."

March 1st marked the 48th anniversary of the U.S. hydrogen bomb test explosion at Bikini Atoll in which the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (5th Lucky Dragon), a Japanese tuna fishing boat, was showered with radioactive fallout resulting in the death of Kuboyama Aikichi, a crew member. The testing also exposed many residents of the Marshall Islands to radioactivity.

In a march through Yaizu City, home to the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, Uchida Shinji, 25, was at the head holding a photo of Kuboyama, whose last words were: "No more victims of atomic bombs."

Uchida, who only recently learned about the hydrogen bomb test explosion, was surprised to see 1,500 people marching with him to Kuboyama's tomb in Yaizu City.

Uchida said, "The United States was within a hairbreadth of using nuclear weapons in the air strikes against Afghanistan. It still repeats underground/subcritical nuclear testings. Never again should the tragedies of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Bikini be allowed to be repeated."

After visiting the tomb, about 180 youth and students held a rally titled, "Join us as Young Messengers of Peace!" They sang folk songs and talked about peace.

A Shizuoka University student said, "Now that it is a half year since the terrorist incident in the U.S., we are going to hold a peace rally and peace walk on March 9 in Shizuoka City."

A high school student who took part in the 2001 World Conference against A and H Bombs and visited the Nuclear Weapons Library said, "I was terrified to learn about the catastrophe caused by the atomic bomb. Together with my fellow high school students I organized a peace seminar in Shizuoka." (end)