'Abolish nuclear weapons now!' campaign widely supported by local government heads

More than 550 local government heads and assembly chairs throughout Japan have signed the petition calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

They have responded to the signature campaign "Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now! - Let there be no more Hiroshimas and no more Nagasakis" launched by the 2003 World Conference against A & H Bombs to boost the anti-nuclear movement towards 2005, the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The petition demands that the nuclear weapon states stop using, threatening to use, or developing nuclear weapons and take immediate steps to abolish them. It also requests all countries to take actions for conclusion of an international treaty abolishing nuclear weapons.

By June 16, 369 local government heads and 216 assembly chairs in 26 prefectures have signed the petition.

In Hokkaido Prefecture, local peace activists have made representations to 161 municipalities and received signatures of representatives in 146 governments, including mayors and assembly chairs.

A poster produced by the Organizing Committee for the World Conference has proven to be useful for the promotion of this anti-nuclear campaign. It shows photographs of a wide range of public figures, including Hiroshima Mayor Akiba Tadatoshi, Nagasaki Mayor Ito Iccho, Nobel Prize writer Oe Kenzaburo, atomic bomb survivor (Hibakusha) Yamaguchi Senji, as well as a film director, an actress, and a comic artist. (end)