Japan Gensuikyo holds signature collection campaigns against nuclear weapons during Disarmament Week
At the start of U.N. Disarmament Week on October 24, the Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) held signatures collecting actions calling for no-use and abolition of nuclear weapons in many cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In Tokyo, more than 20 peace activists took to the streets of downtown Tokyo and collected signatures, shouting, "No military strikes against Iraq," and "No more Hiroshimas and Nagasakis."
A mother and her daughter signed the petition, saying, "An individual person alone can do nothing to abolish nuclear weapons, but everyone can cooperate in such a signature collection."
Participants in the day's action took about 36,700 signatures to the U.S. Embassy and the Diet Building after collecting signatures.
Japan Gensuikyo plans to hold a variety of events, including an A-bomb photo show and a peace march to mark the Disarmament Week till October 30.
The Organizing Committee of the World Conference against A & H Bombs on October 23 confirmed an action plan to further develop the signature collection campaigns calling for no-use and abolition of nuclear weapons, which had started as part of the implementation of the 2002 World Conference decision. (end)