Japan Press Weekly

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2016 January 6 - 12 [PEACE]

Anti-nuke, Hibakusha groups in Japan protest N. Korea’s nuclear test

The Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo), the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), and a Japan-North Korea friendship association issued statements in protest against North Korea’s “hydrogen bomb test” announcement on January 6.

Gensuikyo in its statement by Secretary General Yasui Masakazu states, “We strongly denounce the repeated outrages by North Korea and demand it cease all nuclear tests and abandon its nuclear development program.”

It criticizes nuclear tests and nuclear research and development by North Korea for not only violating “the UN Security Council resolutions and past agreements on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”, but also seriously challenging “the desire of the peoples of the world for the abolition of nuclear weapons”.

The statement points out, “[t]he recent past history over North Korea’s nuclear weapons research and development once again underscores the urgent need to start negotiations for a treaty to totally ban nuclear weapons.” It calls on “all the States, especially those possessing nuclear weapons, to start taking actions to achieve a total ban on nuclear weapons”.

Nihon Hidankyo’s statement strongly urges North Korea to abandon its position to demonstrate its existence by expanding its nuclear capability, calling on the governments of Japan and other countries to respond to this act in a rational manner.

A Japan-North Korea friendship society, Niccho Kyokai, in a statement signed by president Ishibashi Masao said that North Korea’s nuclear test cannot be justified for any reason in the midst of ongoing efforts to create a world without nuclear weapons.

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In this year’s first “6th and 9th” day of action which took place across Japan, participants protested against the nuclear test by North Korea.

In Hiroshima, Sakuma Kunihiko of the Hiroshima Federation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations condemned North Korea’s test for running counter to the world trend seeking the launch of negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.

Past related articles:
> North Korea must listen to world opinion [June 13, 2009]
> Shii says draft U.N. resolution sets forth reasoned and calm measures against North Korea [June 12, 2009]
> It is outrageous to apply emergency situation law to North Korea issue: JCP Koike [October 16, 2006]