Anti-nuclear weapons appeal gaining broader support

An appeal calling for opposition to the use of nuclear weapons and their abolition is gaining approval in Japan and abroad, amid increasing tension between Iraq and the U.S.

The appeal, issued on the occasion of the first anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, calls for a total ban on nuclear weapons and opposes preemptive military attacks, the use of nuclear weapons, and nuclear test and development.

Rita Lasar (Sept. 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, the U.S.), Bruce Kent (former International Peace Bureau president, Britain), Achin Vanaik (scholar and journalist, India), Tsuchiya Yoshihiko (governor of Saitama Pref., Japan), Yoshinaga Sayuri (actress, Japan), C.W. Nicol (writer, Japan), and Hida Shuntaro (doctor, Japan) have so far expressed their support for the appeal.

The appeal was jointly announced by Anzai Ikuro (Ritsumeikan Univ.), Ejiri Mihoko (Japan YWCA), Kawai Tomoyasu (scientist), Kumagai Kanemichi (Zenroren president), Sawada Shoji (Nagoya Univ.), and Takakusagi Hiroshi (Gensuikyo secretary general), while the U.S. is intensifying its readiness to attack Iraq and hinting use of nuclear weapons.

Gensuikyo on September 6 conducted a campaign to collect signatures in support of the appeal in Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities. (end)