Hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) protest new U.S. nuclear strategy

The Japan Confederation of A and H Bombs Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) on January 23 denounced the U.S. Bush administration's plan to resume underground nuclear tests.

In a published statement on the U.S. review of the strategic nuclear policy proposed to the U.S. Congress, Nihon Hidankyo criticized the U.S. government for going ahead with the development of new nuclear weapons.

Warning that the review might cause a new nuclear arms race, Nihon Hidankyo demanded that the United States scrap the review, cancel its withdrawal from the ABM Treaty, ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and abandon all nuclear test plans.

The A-bomb survivors' organization also called for an international meeting to be held without delay to conclude an international treaty for the abolition of nuclear weapons. (end)