Hiroshima’s 7 peace groups jointly oppose U.S-India nuclear cooperation

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Hiroshima’s 7 peace groups jointly oppose U.S-India nuclear cooperation

Seven peace organizations in Hiroshima Prefecture on August 21 urged the Japanese government to clearly oppose the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement from going into effect.

In their first statement on the issue, they expressed concern that the agreement will be a death blow to the global movement calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons during the run-up to the 2010 NPT Review Conference.

The agreement will allow the United States to provide nuclear-related technologies to India, which renounced the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty after its first nuclear test in 1974.

The statement stressed that the agreement would “accelerate nuclear proliferation and a nuclear arms race” and that it will also “completely destroy the NPT regime and make the task for the abolition of nuclear weapons even more difficult.”

The seven organizations are two Hiroshima Federations of A and H Bombs Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hindakyo), the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, Hiroshima Council against A & H Bombs (Hiroshima Gensuikyo), the NO DU (depleted uranium) Hiroshima Project, the Association for Peace Exchange with Indian and Pakistani Youth, and the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition. - Akahata, August 22, 2008