Japan Press Weekly

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2017 June 7 - 13 [PEACE]

Hidankyo in annual meeting resolves to step up efforts to achieve international treaty banning nuclear weapons

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) on June 6 and 7 held its 62nd general assembly in Tokyo. After confirming how their efforts helped the UN negotiations on a nuclear weapons ban treaty, the assembly adopted an action program focusing on the further promotion of the Hibakusha-led signature-collection campaign.

On the first day, Hidankyo Secretary General Tanaka Terumi in his keynote address said that in March in New York City, Hidankyo Assistant Secretary General Fujimori Toshiki delivered a speech in the first round of the UN Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons Leading towards their Total Elimination. Tanaka stressed that the A-bomb survivor’s speech contributed to the success of the historical Conference. He also noted that since launched in April 2016, the International Signature Campaign in Support of the Appeal of Hibakusha for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons has been spreading in both Japan and the rest of the world.

Iwasa Mikiso, one of the Hidankyo representatives, in his speech referred to the fact that the draft of a nuclear weapons ban treaty was recently made public by the UN Conference chair. Iwasa said, “This fact indicates that our earnest call, ‘No more Hibakusha’, was accepted by the international community. We should not just sit and watch this growing trend towards a new treaty, but actively promote it.”

On the second day, the assembly approved an action program for the year. According to the program, Hidankyo will keep going forward with the “Hibakusha appeal” signature-collection drive and submit as many signatures as possible to the UN by June 15 when the second round of the UN Conference will be convened. It will also work to collect hundreds of millions of signatures by 2020 and send them to the UN. Hidankyo also decided to promote movements to abolish the Japanese war laws and to help kill the “anti-conspiracy” bill.

The assembly also adopted a special resolution which criticizes nuclear weapons states as well as Japan and other countries that are dependent on the nuclear umbrella for refusing to take part in the UN Conference. The resolution urges these countries to join the negotiations and work to create a world free from nuclear weapons.

A new leadership was elected in the assembly. Kido Sueichi succeeded Tanaka Terumi as secretary general.

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‘Hibakusha Appeal’ signatures close to reaching 3 million mark

A liaison council promoting the “Hibakusha Appeal” signature-collection campaign on June 9 held a press conference in Tokyo to announce that the number of signatures obtained surpassed 2.96 million. The council made this announcement in advance of the second round of the UN conference on a nuclear weapons ban treaty scheduled to be convened June 15 in New York City.

Representative of the council, Tanaka Terumi, said that atomic bomb survivor Wada Masako will go to the U.S. to submit the list of signatures to the UN before the start of the conference. Tanaka said that the signatures reflect Hibakusha’s earnest hope for a total ban and elimination of nuclear weapons and added that the council will call on antinuke organizations across the world to cooperate in the continuing signature-collection drive.

The 2.96 million signatures were collected by the council’s 39 member organizations, local liaison councils, and individuals both inside and outside Japan. Among the signatories are 658 municipal heads including 11 governors in Japan.

Past related articles:
> UN discusses a treaty banning nuclear weapons for 1st time ever [March 29, 2017]
> 60-year-old Hidankyo resolves to achieve success of international signature campaign [June 16 & 17, 2016]