June 16 & 17, 2016
The 60-year-old Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) on June 16 ended its two-day annual convention after adopting a resolution which calls for the promotion of the “International Signature Campaign in Support of the Appeal of Hibakusha for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons”.
The resolution touches on a speech that U.S. President Barack Obama delivered in Hiroshima in late May. Pointing out that Obama as the president of the U.S. made no mention of any responsibility for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the resolution stresses that he should be more aware of his responsibility and take decisive steps towards nuclear disarmament as a way to offer an apology over the U.S. nuclear attacks.
Regarding the international signature campaign, the resolution states that A-bomb survivors will collect signatures from people not only in Japan but also in countries across the world, including nuclear weapons states and their allies as part of efforts to increase public awareness that there is no need for a country to have nuclear weapons to maintain its security.
In the general meeting, Nihon Hidankyo Chairperson Iwasa Mikiso in his speech said that the 60 years of Nihon Hidankyo was far from uneventful. He went on to say that Hibakusha have become older but they will go back to their original goal and keep working together with citizens to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.
Nihon Hidankyo Secretary General Tanaka Terumi in the keynote speech stated that since its foundation, the organization has been working: to make it known to the public what the atomic bombs had done to people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; create a world free from nuclear weapons; and have the government pay compensation to A-bomb survivors for their suffering. Based on the achievements over the last 60 years, Hidankyo will work to further deepen and develop its movement, Tanaka stressed.
Past related article:
> Hibakusha commenting on Obama visit to Hiroshima call for ‘No more Hibakusha’ [May 28, 2016]
The resolution touches on a speech that U.S. President Barack Obama delivered in Hiroshima in late May. Pointing out that Obama as the president of the U.S. made no mention of any responsibility for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the resolution stresses that he should be more aware of his responsibility and take decisive steps towards nuclear disarmament as a way to offer an apology over the U.S. nuclear attacks.
Regarding the international signature campaign, the resolution states that A-bomb survivors will collect signatures from people not only in Japan but also in countries across the world, including nuclear weapons states and their allies as part of efforts to increase public awareness that there is no need for a country to have nuclear weapons to maintain its security.
In the general meeting, Nihon Hidankyo Chairperson Iwasa Mikiso in his speech said that the 60 years of Nihon Hidankyo was far from uneventful. He went on to say that Hibakusha have become older but they will go back to their original goal and keep working together with citizens to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.
Nihon Hidankyo Secretary General Tanaka Terumi in the keynote speech stated that since its foundation, the organization has been working: to make it known to the public what the atomic bombs had done to people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; create a world free from nuclear weapons; and have the government pay compensation to A-bomb survivors for their suffering. Based on the achievements over the last 60 years, Hidankyo will work to further deepen and develop its movement, Tanaka stressed.
Past related article:
> Hibakusha commenting on Obama visit to Hiroshima call for ‘No more Hibakusha’ [May 28, 2016]
