May 26, 2024

The government on May 21, in response to Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Yamazoe Taku, admitted to the fact that it has never lodged a protest against and made a retraction demand for U.S. politicians’ remarks justifying the August 1945 atomic bombings.

At a meeting of the House of Councilors Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on the day, Yamazoe pointed out that since the end of WWII, U.S. politicians have repeatedly made remarks that justify the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. As an example, he cited the latest remark made in the U.S. Senate.

Yamazoe asked, “Has the Japanese government protested and called for an apology for the statements made defending the U.S. atomic bombings?” In response, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau Miyamoto Shingo said, “We have never filed a protest or a retraction request with the U.S. side.” The JCP lawmaker said it is unacceptable for the government not to lodge an official protest.

Furthermore, Yamazoe referred to a U.S. subcritical nuclear test on May 14, and said, “The government has claimed that in the G7 Hiroshima Summit, the seven leaders agreed to reaffirm their commitment to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. However, the U.S. government intends to rely on nuclear deterrence despite the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons.”

During a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on May 8, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked, “"In hindsight, do you think that that was the right decision for America to drop two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities in question?" In response, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Charles Brown said, “I’ll tell you, it stopped the war,” and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed with Brown.

Past related articles:
> Hibakusha protest against US subcritical nuclear test [May 19, 2024]
> A-bomb survivors protest remarks made in US Senate that justify A-bombing civilian targets [May 16, 2024]