March 2, 2024

At a main rally of the “March 1 Bikini Day” events in Shizuoka City, participants strongly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for warning the West of the risk of nuclear war.

Putin on February 29 said that there is a “realistic” risk of a nuclear war if the West escalates the conflict in Ukraine.

On behalf of the Bikini Day organizers, Takakusaki Hiroshi of the Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) claimed that Putin’s threat is a violation of the UN Charter and is strictly banned by the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Prior to the Bikini Day main rally, a memorial service took place in Yaizu City (Shizuoka Pref.) for the late Kuboyama Aikichi, the chief radio operator of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon #5) with about 900 people participating.

The United States 70 years ago conducted H-bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. Marshall islanders and a total of 1,400 Japanese fishing boats, including the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, were exposed to radiation from the test explosions.

At Kuboyama’s tomb, Yamamoto Yoshihiko, an advisor to the Daigo Fukuryu Maru association, said that Hibakusha, affected fishermen, and their bereaved families strongly urge the Japanese government to sign and ratify the TPNW.

Yaizu City Mayor Nakano Hiromichi, Hiroshima City Mayor Matsui Kazumi, and Nagasaki City Mayor Suzuki Shiro contributed messages in solidarity. Suyama Hatsumi of the Japanese Communist Party read out the message in solidarity sent by the JCP Central Committee.