Japan Press Weekly

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2015 May 27 - June 2 [PEACE]

Organizers of world conference against atomic weapons resolve to achieve success

The Organizing Committee of the 2015 World Conference against A & H Bombs on May 28 held its regular general meeting in Tokyo. Confident of the growing anti-nuke global trend which was shown in the recent NPT Review Conference in New York, participants confirmed that they will do their best to lead the upcoming world conference to success.

At the meeting, Taka Hiroshi, representative director of the Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo), gave the keynote report. Referring to the fact that in the latest NPT conference, a joint statement on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons was endorsed by 159 countries (about 80% of UN member nations), he said, “This indicates that the international movement seeking the total abolition of nuclear arms is increasing.”

Taka stressed that anti-nuke campaigns in Japan, the only country in the world that experienced atomic bombings, have been taking the lead in strengthening international public opinion against nuclear weapons.

The Gensuikyo executive also mentioned that this year’s review conference ended without adopting a final outcome document. He noted that behind this failure to do so is the reality that nuclear weapons states continue turning their backs on the overwhelming international demand for the start of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.

Taka underlined the importance of stepping up anti-nuclear campaigns in nuclear weapons possessing countries and other nations like Japan which are under a nuclear umbrella. He called on the participants to work in order to make a great success of the coming world conference, in cooperation with civic movements opposing the war legislation introduced by the Abe administration.

The general meeting adopted an appeal calling for making the 70th year of the U.S. atomic bombings a major turning point for achieving a nuclear weapons-free world.

After the meeting, representatives of the organizing committee held a press conference and announced the outline of the world conference. The event will take place from August 2 through August 9 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is expected that some 100 foreign delegates from more than 20 countries will take part, including government representatives from Cuba, Egypt, South Africa, and Venezuela.


Past related article:
> Gensuikyo representative director issues statement on result of NPT RevCon [May 24, 2015]