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2018 January 10 - 16 TOP3 [PEACE]

ICAN chief in Nagasaki: Japanese gov’t should be fully aware of inhumane nature of nuclear weapons

The executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, on January 13 delivered a lecture in Nagasaki City and underscored the need to pressure the Japanese government to sign and ratify the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons.

ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn, who made her first visit to the city, spoke at an open seminar organized by the Nagasaki University Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, titled, “How to make full use of the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty”.

The ICAN chief in her address said that the adoption of the anti-nuke UN treaty was impossible without A-bomb survivors’ cooperation and expressed her gratitude to Hibakusha, their families, people in Nagasaki, and all others who took action to realize the treaty.

Fihn criticized the Japanese government for being dependent on the U.S. nuclear umbrella and refusing to sign the UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. She stressed that Japan should be fully aware of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons - much more so than any other countries. The ICAN officer called on the audience to push the government to participate in the international framework.

A panel discussion followed the speech. Along with Fihn, ICAN international steering group member Kawasaki Akira, A-bomb survivor Tomonaga Masao, and Foreign Ministry disarmament division chief Imanishi Nobuharu spoke as panelists.

Using North Korea’s provocative actions as a pretext, the government bureaucrat asserted that the U.S. nuclear deterrence is essential under the tense security environment, and was met with boos from high school students, Hibakusha, and others in the audience.

Earlier in the day, Fihn visited the Nagasaki Peace Park and offered flowers at the ground zero monument.

Past related articles:
> Shii and ICAN official agree to jointly push Japan to sign UN nuclear weapons ban treaty [October 12, 2017]
> Hibakusha celebrate ICAN winning Nobel Peace Prize [October 7&8, 2017]