August 4, 2026

A 2-day international meeting, the opening event of the 2026 World Conference against A & H Bombs, took place on August 3 in Hiroshima City.

The meeting functioned as a forum for sharing efforts made by people in nuclear-possessing and nuclear-dependent countries for their governments’ participation in the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as well as for the abolition of nuclear weapons. It also provided an opportunity to discuss ways to develop global cooperation in the lead-up to the first TPNW review conference which is slated for November.

Delivering the opening speech on behalf of the organizers, Noguchi Kunikazu, a co-representative of the World Conference Steering Committee, stressed that although the latest NPT Review Conference failed to issue a final document, it highlighted the fact that a call for abolishing nuclear weapons has become the mainstream opinion in the world. He appealed for the need to develop global solidarity and cooperation in order to accelerate the movement toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Hibakusha) made speeches. Hiroshima Hibakusha Kodama Michiko, an assistant secretary general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), emphasized, “The recurrence of an atomic bomb hell is totally unacceptable for any reason.” Nagasaki Hibakusha Yokoyama Teruko, who serves as a Hidankyo representative director, said, “Let us work to eliminate every single one of these nuclear arms from the face of the earth.”

In a session titled, “Achieving a nuclear weapon-free, peaceful and just world,” the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) secretary general, Sophie Bolt, reported on growing public opposition to the government’s nuclear buildup policy, and said that the most notable point is that many young people have stood up against this policy. Spanish doctor Carlos Umaña, who is a member of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), said that the urgent task at hand is to eliminate nuclear weapons, adding, “Let us continue to sow the seeds for a peaceful future!”

In another session titled, “Solidarity and joint actions of civil society movements,” Dr. Ira Helfand talked about the U.S. “Back from the Brink” campaign, a national grassroots movement seeking to fundamentally change U.S. nuclear weapons policy. As a co-founder of the campaign, he said that a bill calling for the adoption of the campaign’s policy proposals obtained 59 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and nine in the Senate, which represents a significant leap forward in the grassroots movement to gain political support.

Past related article:
> This year’s anti-nuke World Conference will open path of hope toward abolition of nuclear weapons: Gensuikyo secretary general [July 24, 2026]