The Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for
the Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties tothe Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)NGO Presentation
July 23, 2024 (Geneva)

Mayors for Peace(Statement by SUZUKI Shiro, Vice President of Mayors for Peace and Mayor of Nagasaki)

Chairman, distinguished delegates, and leaders of civil groups, I am SUZUKI
Shiro, Mayor of Nagasaki. I would like to express my respect to everyone who has
worked tirelessly to organize this meeting, as well as my gratitude for being
allowed the opportunity to address you all as Vice-President of Mayors for Peace.
Hiroshima, 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945.
Nagasaki, 11:02 a.m., August 9, 1945.
By the end of December that year, the estimated death toll from the atomic
bombings of the two cities was over 210,000.
This death toll represents the extent of each and every precious life that was lost.
Although it was during a time of war, people were going about their daily lives, nodifferent than ours, with their families, friends, and colleagues until the moment
the atomic bombs were dropped.
The atomic bomb instantly and indiscriminately took away the lives these civilians
had, including the lives of women, children, and the elderly. The hibakusha, whonarrowly survived, developed symptoms such as leukemia and cancer years ordecades later. They continue to suffer from the effects of radiation and are worried
about their health to this day.
Atomic bombs are cruel weapons that mercilessly rob people of the sanctity ofliving a decent life.
The hibakusha, who know this all too well, have continued to appeal to the worldthat “humans and nuclear weapons can never co-exist” by sharing their first-handexperiences.
As we approach 79 years from the atomic bombings, and amid the ongoing Russian
invasion of Ukraine and military conflict in the Middle East, reliance on nuclear
weapons is deepening and the nuclear arms race is accelerating.

1

Do the appeals of the hibakusha not seem to be in vain as the world is heading
towards a more dangerous state?
Should a nuclear war break out, besides the obvious direct impact of the nuclear
explosions, the blasts would scatter dust and smoke into the air, blocking sunlightfrom reaching the Earth’s surface, which would cause global temperatures to drop,
creating a “nuclear winter” that would lead to a food shortage. As a result, it is said
that billions of people would die from famine, posing an existential threat tohumankind.
With a strong sense of impending crisis, I would like to appeal to every nation,
including the nuclear weapon states:“Nuclear weapons must never be used. The only way for humanity to avoid the riskof nuclear weapons is to abolish them.”
It is my earnest hope that during this Preparatory Committee, state parties willengage in positive discussion based on the perspective of human security and that
this meeting will lead to an effective pathway towards nuclear disarmament at theupcoming NPT Review Conference in 2026.
Furthermore, I call on the United States and Russia to negotiate a new arms
control framework to replace the New START Treaty that will expire in February
2026.
I would like to close my statement by sharing with the world the following common
aspiration of humankind:“Make Nagasaki the last wartime atomic bombing site.”Thank you.

2