Statement on the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing:
We Call for the “Abolition of Nuclear Weapons at the Earliest Possible Date”
August 6, 2020
Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations(Nihon Hidankyo)
In this 75th summer of the first atomic bombing by the U.S. military, we the Hibakusha ofHiroshima and Nagasaki reiterate our call to all the people and States of the world to achieve
the “abolition of nuclear weapons at the earliest possible date.”
World War II, fought over 6 years, destroyed numerous cities and towns and killed an untold
number of people. Amongst all this carnage, the worst was from the atomic bombing. The Abombs burned with a flash of light and blew people away with the blast. They completely
destroyed the people and all living things as well as the two cities. It was a hell on earth beyond
all imagination. Those who barely survived the moment later succumbed one after another tothe destruction of their cells by the radiation from the bombs. By the end of 1945, altogether
210,000 people were killed. Most of these were civilians: the elderly, women and children.
During the 75 years since the atomic bombing, the Hibakusha have been tormented by “(Abomb induced) diseases and the fear of them”, “lost jobs as a result of poor health”,“discrimination and prejudice”, “fear of illness and health conditions of their children andgrandchildren”, “traumatic experiences of that day”, and other problems. Even today, theatomic bombing continues to inflict “physical, economic and emotional pains” on the Hibakusha.
Breaking the silence imposed by the Allied Forces’ press ban and the Japanese government’s
policy of abandoning them, the Hibakusha rallied together to found the Japan Confederationof A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) in 1956, the 11th year of theatomic bombing. Since then, Hidankyo has continued working to achieve a nuclear weaponfree world, upholding its founding pledge “to save humanity from its crisis through the lessons
learned from our experiences, while at the same time saving ourselves”.
In subsequent decades, the number of nuclear weapons, which was only a handful at the timeof the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, went on increasing and reached 70,000 at
the peak time of the Cold War. It has dwindled to 13,000 since, but the destructive power of
each warhead is far greater than the bomb used in 1945. If a third massacre and destruction
is caused by nuclear weapons, the scope of the damage may spread globally and its
consequences may lead to the annihilation of the human race.

The average age of the Hibakusha exceeds 83 years old and nearly 10,000 of them die year
by year. We the Hibakusha, in order to prevent anyone, anywhere in the world from going
through the same experience we had, have tirelessly carried out our movement, appealing,“No more Hibakusha!” and “Prevent nuclear war! Abolish nuclear weapons!”
In 2016, we initiated the International Signature Campaign in Support of the “Appeal of theHibakusha” for the elimination of nuclear weapons. When the Treaty on the Prohibition ofNuclear Weapons was adopted at the UN on July 7, 2017, we rejoiced with all our hearts andsouls and felt so happy to have survived to that day.
Now the COVID-10 pandemic is raging across national borders, but it is expected that it willbe brought under control in a few years. However, if a major nuclear exchange occurs, by thetime it comes under control, there will be no humans or other living things left. Only a planetwith heavy contamination from radiation will remain. No one will survive to be proud of theirnation’s wealth, military strength, prestige or status. And there will be no one to dispose of thecorpses of such ex-leaders of States.
The human race cannot coexist with nuclear weapons. These weapons of evil created byhumans must be abolished by humans. We the Hibakusha call for the “abolition of nuclear
weapons at the earliest possible date” and dedicate what time we have left to working together
with you to ensure the survival of humankind.