December 22, 2021

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) on December 21 visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit to Prime Minister Kishida Fumio 657,174 signatures calling on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Kido Sueichi, Nihon Hidankyo secretary general, said, "Japan, the only atomic-bombed country in the world, should lead the world in working to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons."

Kido pointed out that the Constitution of Japan pledges to never allow the repeat of the horrors of nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that the pledge gives many A-bomb survivors (Hibakusha) a lot of strength. He said, "The Constitution shouldn't be changed."

Past related articles:
> '6 & 9 Action' calls for Japan's gov't to advance peace diplomacy [October 10, 2021]
> Hiroshima Hibakusha living in Canada sends letter to new Prime Minister, calling for Japan's participation in N-weapons ban treaty [October 6, 2021]