101 municipal heads in Hokkaido sign petition urging G8 Summit to discuss abolition of nuclear weapons

Japan Press Weekly

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101 municipal heads in Hokkaido sign petition urging G8 Summit to discuss abolition of nuclear weapons

In Hokkaido, where the G8 Summit will be held in July, 101 municipal heads have signed a petition calling on Fukuda Yasuo, the prime minister of the only A-bombed country, to include the issue of abolishing nuclear weapons as a main agenda item.

This was announced by the organizing committee of the National Peace March in Hokkaido, which has been calling on municipal heads to support the petition, at a news conference on June 4 in Sapporo.

The committee said that heads of 101 out of Hokkaido’s 180 municipalities have expressed their support for the petition.

In addition, 12 vice heads, 58 local assembly chairs, and 58 local boards of education chairs also signed the petition.

Kudo Fumiko, the organizing committee chair and president of the Hokkaido chapter of the New Japan Women’s Association, said, “Participants in the peace march have visited cities and towns and called on their heads to support the petition. Many local government leaders have responded favorably to the call. I hope that G8 leaders will use the summit meeting as an important opportunity to pave the way for abolishing nuclear weapons.”

Iwabuchi Hisashi, secretary of the Hokkaido Council against A & H Bombs, said that most municipality heads, including the mayor of Rebun Town, where the Hokkaido peace march started, expressed support for the petition.”

- Akahata, June 5, 2008