September 3, 2026

Wada Masako, assistant secretary general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), delivered a speech on behalf of A-bomb survivors at the first-ever International Meeting on Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation held on September 1 at the UN headquarters in New York.

Wada stated that Nihon Hidankyo has campaigned for the abolition of nuclear weapons as well as for state compensation for victims of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. She added that the organization is calling for improvements to the Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Assistance Act.

The 82-year-old Nagasaki Hibakusha stated that the countries that used nuclear weapons, their allies, and those that conducted repeated nuclear tests should take responsibility for nuclear damage worldwide. She proposed that the meeting begin by recognizing the “inhumane consequences” of using nuclear weapons as a matter of personal concern.

The Republics of Kazakhstan and Kiribati, both of which were deeply affected by nuclear testing, served as co-chairs of the meeting. Civil society leaders from various countries took part in the meeting.

An Austrian participant cited the example of the trust fund established under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which played a role in the disposal of chemical weapons in Syria, to suggest the creation of an international trust fund to support nuclear victims under the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Many other anti-nuclear activists also called for the establishment of such a trust fund.

Speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi emphasized the need for global solidarity and international cooperation to address the multi-generational legacies of nuclear weapons use and testing. She pointed out that Articles 6 and 7 of the TPNW require member states to provide assistance to victims, clean up contaminated environments, and cooperate internationally to remedy the harm caused by the use and testing of nuclear weapons.