Hiroshima-Nagasaki Declaration Commemorating the 70th Year Since the Atomic Bombing
Nuclear Weapon-Free World Now!
August 5, 2015
Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations(Nihon Hidankyo)

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
turning them into cities of death within a second.
The atomic bombs deprived so many people of their lives. A total of 210,000 people were killed by
the end of that year. It was an act of indiscriminate massacre regardless of age, sex, and occupation.
Some were killed instantly, without knowing what had happened. Some were burned alive. Manyvictims still remain unidentified. We cannot forget the heaps of dead bodies, those who died vomitingblood, and others who died in agony. Still today, the atomic bombs continue to take lives away frommany survivors and to torment them physically and mentally.
Through our own experiences, we Hibakusha have told people what the atomic bombs have done to us.
We have declared that atomic weapons are weapons of the devil whose only purpose is destruction,and that they can never coexist with human beings. Our wish is to make sure no more Hibakusha likeus will be created. We say, “Do not start nuclear war; abolish nuclear weapons; achieve State
compensation for the loss and damage caused by the atomic bombing.”
Abolition of nuclear weapons and achievement of the State compensation for the Hibakusha are yet tobe achieved even 70 years after. There still exist 16,000 nuclear weapons in the world, and the dangerof nuclear explosion still remains very real.
Now Japan is facing a critical situation. Paying no heed to the voices of the people, Prime Minister
Abe rammed through legislation in the Lower House, which would turn Japan into a war-wagingnation. He is throwing away the pacifist idea of the Constitution, taking us into another pre-war era.
The wish of the Hibakusha is shared by the majority of the people who say that war is the last thing
they want. Let us work together to stop this outrage committed by the Abe government.
The world is changing. Official policies and citizens' opinions in favour of the abolition of nuclear
weapons have become a growing trend. Since 2012, the joint declaration on the humanitarianconsequences of nuclear weapons was issued 6 times by various groups of governments calling for theabolition of nuclear weapons, and the International Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear
Weapons was held 3 times. The joint declarations and the Conferences analyzed the inhumanity ofnuclear weapons use from various angles and made clear that “whether by accident, miscalculation ordesign, the catastrophic effects of a nuclear weapon detonation would spread beyond national borders
and no State or international body could address the immediate humanitarian emergency”, “It is in theinterest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any
circumstances”, and “The only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons will never be used again isthrough their total elimination”. The role of the civil society is critical in revealing to the world thecatastrophic effects of even one single nuclear weapon explosion could cause, and raising public
support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster has posed another significant challenge in the nuclear
field. Even after 4 years, no concrete measures have been taken to bring the critical situation undercontrol. Abolition is the only solution to the uncontrollable nuclear power plants.
The human race already knows the way to remove from this planet all nuclear weapons and power

plants, that are threatening the survival of the human race. All we need now is to summon up ourcourage to take the decision and carry it out.
On the 70th year of the atomic bombing, we Hibakusha declare that as long as we live, we aredetermined to continue to raise our voices and make efforts together with other members of the civilsociety to achieve a peaceful and safe planet where the human race can survive.