Japan Press Weekly

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2016 September 7 - 13 [PEACE]

Hibakusha stage sit-in protest against North Korea’s nuclear test

In protest against North Korea’ fifth nuclear test, Hiroshima peace activists along with A-bomb survivors (Hibakusha) on September 11 staged a sit-in at the Atomic Bomb Monument in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Takahashi Nobuo, a member of the Hiroshima Prefectural Council against A and H Bombs (Hiroshima Gensuikyo), denounced North Korea, saying, “From the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, we lift our strongest voice against North Korea for continuing with its nuclear weapons delivery system tests.”

Sakuma Kunihiko, a Hiroshima Hibakusha, said, “I’m sure that North Korea knows that the international community is moving toward the start of negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention. I really feel infuriated by the conduct of the nuclear test ignoring the ongoing global effort.”

The sit-in protesters who gathered around the monument approved a written demand that nuclear powers sincerely move in the direction of eliminating nuclear weapons. They sent this demand to the North Korean office to the UN, seven nuclear weapons possessing nations, the Prime Minister’s office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Soon after the September 9 news reporting North Korea’s nuclear test, the Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) and Hibakusha organizations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki published protest statements.

The Hiroshima Federation of A- and H- Bomb Sufferers’ Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo) urged the countries concerned to resume the Six-Party Talks. In addition, it demanded that the Japanese government stop siding with the major nuclear weapons states and break away from its reliance on nuclear deterrence.

The Nagasaki Federation of A- and H- Bomb Sufferers’ Organizations (Nagasaki Hidankyo) expressed its concern over a possible increase in military tensions in Northeast Asia due to North Korea’s repeated nuclear tests. Nagasaki Hidankyo pointed out that nuclear states’ insistence of maintaining their nuclear arsenals using the logic of nuclear deterrence only provides North Korea with the excuse to be a nuclear state to deter nuclear attack.

Japan Gensuikyo Secretary General Yasui Masakazu in his statement noted that the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly warned North Korea about its provocative actions by adopting resolutions 2087, 2094, and 2270 regarding sanctions against the country. Being a member of the international community, North Korea should accept all these resolutions and immediately stop its nuclear and missile development programs, said Yasui.

Yasui at the same time demanded that all relevant countries strengthen their efforts to peacefully solve any issues, resume the Six-Party Talks, and seek to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. He, in particular, demanded the government of Japan to depart from reliance on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” and play a leading role in the global demand to totally ban nuclear weapons.