July 22, 2013
Akahata editorial
Sixty eight years have passed since the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With just two years until the 70th anniversary of the bombings, what should we do to pave the way for a world free from nuclear weapons? This year’s World Conference against A and H bombs, which is scheduled from August 3 to 9, has a greater significance than ever before.
Inhumanity of nuclear weapons
When the last review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was held in 2010, survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings and peace activists from around the world rallied in New York City to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Participants from Japan submitted to the U.N. around 7 million signatures. Feeling pressured by this call, state parties, including the nuclear powers, unanimously adopted a resolution calling on all the member states to “make special efforts to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons.”
In the three years since then, a major step toward achieving a “world without nuclear weapons” has yet to be taken. The nuclear weapons states, namely the U.S. and Russia, have refused to reduce their nuclear arsenals by clinging to their strategy of nuclear deterrence. Non-nuclear weapons states, along with anti-nuclear organizations, have renewed their efforts to break through this situation.
One of these new strategies is to draw public attention to the inhumanity of nuclear weapons in order to push the nuclear powers to abandon such weapons. At a preparatory committee meeting of the NPT Review Conference held this year, 80 countries agreed to issue a joint statement in this regard. The need now is to combine this effort with the movement seeking a start of talks for an international treaty banning all nuclear weapons, and to greatly increase international public opinion opposing nuclear weapons.
The anti-nuke movement in Japan has a key role to play in this effort. Behind the increasing international attention to “humanitarian consequences” of nuclear weapons is the longtime efforts of Japanese citizens working for peace, led by Hibakusha, to spread the information detailing the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to other parts of the world. The Japanese movement has also tenaciously called for the conclusion of an international convention to ban nuclear weapons and collected signatures in the “Appeal for a Total Ban on Nuclear Weapons” campaign to achieve this.
As the only nation attacked by nuclear weapons, the Japanese government should play a leading role in the international effort to abolish nuclear weapons. It, however, runs counter to the world current. It faced strong criticism inside and outside Japan by refusing to support the Joint Statement on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, which was signed by 80 countries. Japan’s stance to rely on the U.S. nuclear strategy of deterrence contradicts the statements which denounces the use of nuclear weapons “under any circumstances.”
The Japanese movement has an international responsibility to force its government to take on a responsible role as the only A-bombed country.
Amid mounting national movement
Nearly 100,000 people have braved the intense summer heat to take part in the annual peace march calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. This nationwide peace campaign has been widely supported by local governments and has developed collaboration with movements to defend the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and to put an end to nuclear power generation.
The World Conference against A & H Bombs will be of greater significance than ever before combined with this mounting national movement.
Sixty eight years have passed since the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With just two years until the 70th anniversary of the bombings, what should we do to pave the way for a world free from nuclear weapons? This year’s World Conference against A and H bombs, which is scheduled from August 3 to 9, has a greater significance than ever before.
Inhumanity of nuclear weapons
When the last review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was held in 2010, survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings and peace activists from around the world rallied in New York City to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Participants from Japan submitted to the U.N. around 7 million signatures. Feeling pressured by this call, state parties, including the nuclear powers, unanimously adopted a resolution calling on all the member states to “make special efforts to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons.”
In the three years since then, a major step toward achieving a “world without nuclear weapons” has yet to be taken. The nuclear weapons states, namely the U.S. and Russia, have refused to reduce their nuclear arsenals by clinging to their strategy of nuclear deterrence. Non-nuclear weapons states, along with anti-nuclear organizations, have renewed their efforts to break through this situation.
One of these new strategies is to draw public attention to the inhumanity of nuclear weapons in order to push the nuclear powers to abandon such weapons. At a preparatory committee meeting of the NPT Review Conference held this year, 80 countries agreed to issue a joint statement in this regard. The need now is to combine this effort with the movement seeking a start of talks for an international treaty banning all nuclear weapons, and to greatly increase international public opinion opposing nuclear weapons.
The anti-nuke movement in Japan has a key role to play in this effort. Behind the increasing international attention to “humanitarian consequences” of nuclear weapons is the longtime efforts of Japanese citizens working for peace, led by Hibakusha, to spread the information detailing the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to other parts of the world. The Japanese movement has also tenaciously called for the conclusion of an international convention to ban nuclear weapons and collected signatures in the “Appeal for a Total Ban on Nuclear Weapons” campaign to achieve this.
As the only nation attacked by nuclear weapons, the Japanese government should play a leading role in the international effort to abolish nuclear weapons. It, however, runs counter to the world current. It faced strong criticism inside and outside Japan by refusing to support the Joint Statement on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, which was signed by 80 countries. Japan’s stance to rely on the U.S. nuclear strategy of deterrence contradicts the statements which denounces the use of nuclear weapons “under any circumstances.”
The Japanese movement has an international responsibility to force its government to take on a responsible role as the only A-bombed country.
Amid mounting national movement
Nearly 100,000 people have braved the intense summer heat to take part in the annual peace march calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. This nationwide peace campaign has been widely supported by local governments and has developed collaboration with movements to defend the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and to put an end to nuclear power generation.
The World Conference against A & H Bombs will be of greater significance than ever before combined with this mounting national movement.
