May 26&27, 2019

The Hiroshima Council against A and H Bombs (Hiroshima Gensuikyo) on May 26 sent U.S. President Donald Trump a letter protesting the U.S. subcritical nuclear test carried out on February 13.

In the letter of protest, Hiroshima Gensuikyo pointed out that the ratification of the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons which was adopted two years ago has been spreading steadily among UN member states, which indicates a growing expectation of the entry into force of the anti-nuke treaty. Criticizing the U.S. act as outrageous, the Gensuikyo letter calls on the U.S. leader refrain from further nuclear tests and instead work for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima Gensuikyo also sent Prime Minister Abe a written request demanding that as prime minister of the only A-bombed nation, Abe raise this issue with President Trump when he visits Japan and push him to make efforts to work for the abolition of atomic weapons, the long cherished aspiration of A-bomb survivors and the Japanese populate.

Similarly, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on May 25 in his statement said that Prime Minister Abe, as head of the country which experienced atomic bombings, should lodge a protest during meetings with President Trump on his visit to Japan.

Shii in his statement pointed out that the latest U.S. nuclear test breaches the obligations of nuclear disarmament stipulated in Article 6 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. He also criticized the U.S. behavior as a serious challenge to the huge international movement that seeks an immediate entry into force of the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons.

Shii also condemned the President Trump-led U.S. administration for moving forward with the modernization and enhancement of the U.S. nuclear arsenal while pushing North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and nuclear development program. Shii stressed that this act will adversely affect future negotiations for the total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The statement in conclusion states that the JCP will continue to work hard with Hibakusha at home and abroad to realize a world without nuclear weapons.

Past related article:
> Hibakusha protest against US subcritical nuclear test [October 11-14, 2018]