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2016 October 5 - 11 TOP3 [PEACE]

Over 560,000 Hibakusha Appeal signatures submitted to UN

The representatives of groups promoting a Hibakusha-led signature campaign held a news conference on October 7 in Tokyo and announced that they submitted to the UN 564,240 signatures calling for the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

The International Signature Campaign in Support of the Appeal of the Hibakusha started in August. With the goal of collecting hundreds of millions of signatures by 2020, campaigners plan to submit the signatures to the annual UN General Assembly every year.

Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) Secretary General Tanaka Terumi said, “The nuclear weapon states and their allies are reluctant to take action for imposing a ban on nuclear weapons, just talking about the possibility. I’ll continue to work to arouse world opinion against nuclear weapons through this signature campaign.”

An 87-year-old A-bomb survivor, Iwasa Mikiso, one of the campaign initiators, said, “I’ll work hard to make this campaign more appealing to the general public.”

The collected signatures were handed to UNGA First Committee Chair Sabri Boukadoum at the UN Headquarters on October 6 by Hidankyo Assistant Secretary General Fujimori Toshiki.

Boukadoum expressed to Fujimori his “heartfelt gratitude” and solidarity with grass-roots movements to inform younger generations of the danger of nuclear weapons.

Fujimori replied, “I’ve been very encouraged by your remarks. I’ll convey your sentiments to Hibakusha in Japan.”

Past related article:
> Hibakusha signature petition campaign attracts attention of foreign visitors at Tokyo tourist spot [September 7, 2016]