Japan Press Weekly

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2021 January 20 - 26 [PEACE]

1st step toward a world without nuclear weapons taken

Following the enforcement of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, on January 23, ten antinuke organizations in Japan held the online rally "Start for a World without Nuclear Weapons!" connecting Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki with video messages from overseas.

UN High Representatives for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi congratulated A-bomb survivors (Hibakusha) for their tenacious efforts to have the treaty take effect, saying, "The coming into force of the treaty represents a renewed commitment to demand 'no more Hiroshinas, no more Nagasakis' and to never again repeat the tragedy of nuclear devastation."

Elayne Whyte Gomez, Costa Rican Ambassador to the UN who worked hard for the adoption of the N-ban treaty said, "My dream is to tell children in 2045, the centennial year of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that we have achieved a world without nuclear weapons."

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Secretary General Beatriz Fihn said, "It is necessary for Japanese people to put pressure on the government and Dietmembers in order to have them make a political about-turn."

Thurlow Setsuko, a Hiroshima Hibakusha living in Canada, said, "Hibakusha have a moral responsibility to make sure that the Japanese government breaks away from the present nuclear deterrence policy, ratifies the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons, and displays its leadership ethically and politically in the global effort to achieve a nuclear-free world."

Representative Director of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon HIdankyo) Tanaka Terumi reported on the movement to press the Japanese government to sign and ratify the UN treaty.

Hiroshima Prefectural Governor Yuzaki Hidehiko and Hiroshima City Mayor Matsui Kazumi called on rally participants, "Let us continue on the course to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons!"

A talk session with Nagasaki City Mayor Taue Tomihisa also took place as part of the "Start for a World without Nuclear Weapons!" rally.

The day before this rally, various related events were organized at more than 110 locations throughout Japan.

In front of the A-Bomb Dome, members of the Hiroshima Council against A and H Bombs (Hiroshima Gensuikyo) and of the Hiroshima Hidankyo braved the rain to take part in a rally celebrating the UN treaty's enforcement. They marched in demonstration through downtown Hiroshima. In Nagasaki City, gongs at Buddhist temples and church bells were rung at 11:02 a.m., the time when the atomic bomb was dropped on the city, followed by a silent prayer.