原水爆禁止2018年世界大会

Organizing Committee
World Conference against A and H Bombs

2-4-4 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8464 Japan
Tel: 03-5842-6034 Fax: 03-5842-6033
E-mail: intl@antiatom.org November 20182018 World Conference
against A and H Bombs
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 2-9, 20182018 World Conference against A & H Bombs

Organizing Committee
World Conference against A and H Bombs

2018 World Conference
against A and H Bombs
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 2-9, 2018

Main Theme:

For a Nuclear Weapon-Free, Peaceful and Just World

Organizing Committee
World Conference against A and H Bombs

Table of Contents
Declaration of the International Meeting ……………………………………………….… 1
Letter from Nagasaki to All National Governments…………………………………….… 4International Meeting, 2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs………………… 5
Opening Session (August 2) .................. …………………………………………………………5
Address of the Organizer:
Noguchi Kunikazu, Steering Committee Co-Chair, Organizing Committee
Greetings on Behalf of the Hibakusha:
Oshita Katsunori, Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo)

Messages from Heads/Leaders of National Governments and International Organizations …10
Plenary Session I: “Damage and Suffering from A-Bombings in Hiroshima & Nagasaki;
Inhuman Nature of Nuclear Weapons; Struggle of the Hibakusha” (August 2) ……………. 16
Introductory Reports:…………………………………………………………………………… 16
Fujiwara Hidefumi, M.D., Fukushima Coop Hospital, Hiroshima/ Japanese Federation of Democratic
Medical Institutions (Min-Iren)
Yoshioka Yukio, Hiroshima Federation of A-Bomb Survivors
Kim Seong Un, Korean Atomic Bomb Casualty Association, ROK
Sasaki Yu, Fukushima City Assembly Member
Statements:…………………………………………………………………………….………………22
Manisha Gaur, Roopantaran Training and Development Pvt Ltd, India
Potturi Narayana Rao, LEAD Foundation, India

Plenary Session II: “Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; Role of Peace
Movements and Civil Society; Promotion of the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;
Overcoming Nuclear Deterrence Doctrine”㸦August 2㸧……………………………………..…24
Introductory Reports:……………………………………………………………………………24
Joseph Gerson, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, USA/ IPB
Rachel Melly, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)/ Yorkshire CND, UK
Christine Rosenberg, French Peace Movement
Hwang Soo Young, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, ROK
Yasui Masakazu, Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Gensuikyo)
Statements:…………………………………………………………………………….…………36
Kawamura Reiko, New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin)
Ogata Yasuo, Organizing Committee of World Conference/ Japanese Communist Party
Shibata Masako, Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF)/ FUDANREN

Plenary Session III: “Solidarity & Cooperation of Movements against Nuclear
Weapons with Other Movements for: Peaceful Settlement of Conflicts; Eradicationof Radiation Damage; Zero Nuclear Power Plants; Environment; Development;
Overcoming Poverty & Social Gap and People’s Living” (August 3) …… ............................. 39
Introductory Reports:……………………………………………………………….……….… 39
Michell Cunha, Peace Action/ Massachusetts Peace Action, USA
Oleg Bodrov, Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland/Film director, Russia
Dong Huy Cuong, Vietnam Peace Committee
Corazon Valdez Fabros, Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition
Yamamoto Takashi, All-Okinawa Coalition Against New Construction of Henoko BaseStatements:…………………………………………………………………………………….…47
Nagao Yuri, National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren)
John Steinbach, Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area, USAParijat Bhandari, Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization of Nepal (AAPSO Nepal)
Jerald Ross, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, USA
Choi Eun-Soon, Korean Women's Associations United, ROK
Rabindra Adhikari, Nepal Peace and Solidarity Council/World Peace Council
Donald Mellman, IPPNW/ Oleander Initiative, University of the Middle East Project, USA

Closing Session (August 4) ............................................................................................................ 57
Reports from Workshops:
Workshop I: John Steinbach, Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area, USA
Workshop II: Khum Prasad Sharma, Global Network Against Weapons and Power in Space, Nepal/ Saito
Shunichi, Association for a Non-Nuclear Government, Japan
Workshop III: Matsushige Miwa, Japan Federation of Prefectural and Municipal Workers’ Unions

Opening Plenary, 2018 World Conference against A & H Bombs – Hiroshima (August 4) …... 60
Keynote Address on Behalf of the Organizer:
Tomida Koji, Drafting Committee Chairperson of the International Meeting
Message from Hiroshima Mayor: Matsui Kazumi, Mayor of Hiroshima City
Greetings of the Hibakusha:
Fujimori Toshiki, Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo)
Greetings of Solidarity:
Fukuyama Shingo, All-Out Action Committee to Stop the War and Scrapping of Article 9
Statements by the Government Representatives:………………………………………………66
Jamie Walsh, Deputy Director, Disarmament & Non-Proliferation, Department of Foreign
Affairs & Trade, Ireland
Seiko Ishikawa, Ambassador to Japan, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Claudio Monzón, Second Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Japan
Mobilization for Nuclear Weapon-Free, Peaceful and Just World:
Ninon Cazaux, French Peace Movement
Karlene Griffiths Sekou, Black Lives Matter Boston/ Dignity Project International, USA
Donald Mellman, IPPNW/ Oleander Initiative, University of the Middle East Project, USA
Choi Eun-Soon, Korean Women's Associations United, ROK
Statements by Japanese Delegates: …………………………………………..…………………69
Sakuma Kunihiko, Kim Ginho, and Kwon Joonoh, Hibakusha Organizations in Hiroshima
Yasumoto Mariko, Ibaraki JA Hospital Workers’ Union/Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Unions
Morita Kaoru, Urawa Branch, New Japan Women’s Association
Yamamoto Takashi, All-Okinawa Coalition Against New Construction of Henoko Base
60th Anniversary Nationwide Peace March and the International Youth Relay March:
Japanese through-marchers, AG Saño (Philippines), Yei Hsuan Huang (Taiwan), Lee Jae
Young (ROK), Siobhon Mcmanus (Guam), Emilie Clark & Emily Rubino (USA)International Forum: “For the Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons -Dialogue between Governments & NGOs” (August 5)……………………………………...….… 77
Panelist Presentations:
Tomas Hajnoczi, Director for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Federal Ministry for
Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Austria
Jamie Walsh, Deputy Director, Disarmament & Non-Proliferation, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Ireland
Alicia Sanders-Zakre, Arms Control Association/Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common
Security, USA
Hiroshi Taka, Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo)

From Special Meetings and Workshops (August 5) ……………………………………...…….… 85
Special Meeting 1: For a Nuclear Weapon-Free, Bases-Free Japan and Solidarity with Okinawa
Jerald Ross, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, USA
Special Meeting 2: Non-Nuclear and Peaceful Korean Peninsula and Asia -- What Role Should
Japan Play?
Chen Zhe, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences/Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament
Workshop 6: Cutback on Military Expenses to Realize a Peaceful and Decent Human Life
Kari Thompson, United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), USAClosing Plenary, 2018 World Conference against A & H Bombs – Hiroshima (August 6) …….90
Speeches by Representatives of National Governments:
Carlos Fernando Almada López, Ambassador to Japan, United Mexican States
Tomas Hajnoczi, Director for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Federal Ministry for
Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Austria
Special Program: 73 Years of the A-Bombing: From the A-Bombed City of Hiroshima: ……93
Yamada Reiko, Hibakusha of Hiroshima/ Tokyo Federation of A-Bomb Survivors Organizations
Mimaki Toshiyuki, Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo)
Ishida Nanako, Graduate of Hiroshima Municipal Motomachi High School
Actions for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World – Speeches by Overseas Delegates:………………95
 Rachel Melly, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, UK
Dong Huy Cuong, Vietnam Peace Committee
Park Seok Min, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, ROK
Joseph Gerson, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, USA
Speech/Messages from Japanese Political Parties:
 Koike Akira, Japanese Communist Party/ Ozawa Ichiro, Liberal Party/ Itokazu Keiko, Okinawa
Whirlwind/ Okada Katsuya, Member of the House of Representatives
 Determination of Japanese Grass-Roots Movements for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World: …101
Ichizuka Ayako, All-Japan Teachers and Staffs Union (Zenkyo)
High School Students of Tokachi Area, Hokkaido delegation
 Proposal for Action:
Yasui Masakazu, Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo)
 Appeal from Hiroshima:

International Forum: “For the Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons -Dialogue between Governments & NGOs” (August 8) ………………………….…….. 106
Greetings from Nagasaki Mayor: Taue Tomihisa, Mayor of Nagasaki City
Panelist Presentations:
Tomas Hajnoczi, Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Austria
Jamie Walsh, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Ireland
Joseph Gerson, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, USA
Lee Jun Kyu, Center for Peace Research and Education of KYOREH HANA, ROK
Tsuchida Yayoi, Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo)

2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs – Nagasaki Day Rally (August 9)……. 111
Greetings of Solidarity:
Umekawa Misano, Japan SEINENDAN Council
Greetings on Behalf of the Hibakusha:
Kido Sueichi, Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo)
Kim Seong Un, Korean Atomic Bomb Casualty Association, ROK
Special program: 73 Years since Nagasaki – Voices from Nagasaki: ……………………..….113
Otsuka Kazutoshi, Hibakusha of Nagasaki/ Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors’ Council
Action for a World without Nuclear Weapons - Speeches by Overseas Delegates:………….114
Oleg Bodrov, Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland/ Film director, Russia
Siobhon Mcmanus, Guåhan Coalition for Peace and Justice, Guam
Michelle Cunha, Peace Action, USA
Lee Jun Kyu, Center for Peace Research and Education of KYOREH HANA, ROKCorazon Fabros, Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition
Grass-roots Movement of Japan: ………………………….………………………………….118
Moriguchi Mitsugu, Nagasaki Association to Promote Hibakusha Appeal Signature Campaign
Takahashi Keiko, Fukuoka Council against A & H Bombs (Fukuoka Gensuikyo)Appendices: ǥǥǥǥǤǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǤǥǥǥǥǥǤǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǤǥǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ120
Overseas Delegates and Guests in the 2018 World Conference
Messages of Solidarity from Overseas
Program of Events of the 2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs
List of Organizing Committee Members
2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs

Declaration of the International Meeting
The atomic bombs used by the United States of America on August 6 and 9, 73 years ago broughton the unprecedented tragedies to Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the humans had ever experienced inhistory. The two cities were totally ruined in an instant, and the lives of some 210,000 people were lostby the end of the year. The Hibakusha who barely survived the moment have been tormented by theafter-effects of the bombs, including radiation. The nuclear weapons, which cause catastrophic
humanitarian consequences, should never be used again for any reason whatsoever. Assembled here in
Hiroshima, we decry that nuclear weapons remain the greatest threat to the survival of the human raceand therefore call for actions to completely eliminate them without any further delay.
Our friends in Hiroshima, who were hit by the recent record-breaking heavy rain, madedetermined and dedicated efforts to make this conference possible, while at the same time engaged in
the relief and recovery work in the extreme heat. We express our deep appreciation and unlimited
solidarity to them for these efforts.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) adopted by the UN conference on
July 7, 2017 marked a historic step forward towards a world without nuclear weapons. During the year
since then, civil society movements, including Hibakusha, joined forces with governments that support
the treaty to make headway toward achieving the total abolition of nuclear weapons on the strength of
the TPNW.
With the TPNW open for signature and ratification, conflicts between the countries that stand infavor and those that resist and oppose it are getting sharper.
Nuclear powers, claiming that the “nuclear deterrence” is essential to global security anddenouncing the TPNW, are modernizing their nuclear arsenals and strengthening their policy to use
them. The Trump Administration reinforced its readiness to use nuclear weapons in its new “Nuclear
Posture Review” and is promoting the development of low-yield nuclear weapons. The Putin
Government of Russia, too, is developing new nuclear weapons, as well as the doctrine of the first useof its tactical nuclear weapons. The rekindled nuclear arms race between the two is evidence that the“nuclear deterrence” endangers security, and does not ensure it. The “unequivocal undertaking” of the“complete elimination of their nuclear arsenals”, which nuclear weapon states accepted in 2000 in theframework of the NPT, and the “special effort to establish the framework” for it agreed in 2010 should
be honored.
The trend for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, however, is steadily growing as amainstream in the world. Nothing can prevent the TPNW from entering into force. The nuclear powers’
resistance is neither firmly grounded nor has it any prospect for the future. It is evident that the doctrineof “nuclear deterrence” based on the assumption to actually use nuclear weapons, cannot but cause
irrevocable damage to humanity. As seen in the voting results of the relevant UN resolutions, those
who support the argument to regard nuclear weapons as necessary for their security are limited to the
nuclear powers themselves and their allies. The nuclear deterrence doctrine is not persuasive and isfurther losing ground.
The key to advancing to “a world without nuclear weapons” is the development of public supportand movement. The world is now keen to listen to the appeal of the Hibakusha, and the role of civilsociety in the international arena is dramatically increasing. If we build further on such cooperation1

between civil society and governments that led to the adoption of the TPNW, we can make headway
by overcoming various obstacles. Many recent polls show that the majority of the citizens want theirgovernments to join the TPNW, and large numbers of local governments and assemblies also urge its
signing and ratification. It is particularly important to build up the movements and the public pressurein the countries possessing nuclear weapons or staying under the “nuclear umbrella”.
With the ROK-DPRK Summit and the US-DPRK Summit, the historic move toward thedenuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime in the Korean Peninsula has started. We
heartily welcome this development. The World Conference against A and H Bombs has consistently
called for the peaceful settlement of the crisis. The present development is supported by the opinionof the people around the world for peace and against nuclear weapons. The driving force to complete
this process also lies in public opinion. We call on all the parties concerned to engage in negotiations
in good faith to reach the declared goals and to implement the points agreed. If the hostility beginningwith the Korean War is ended and the North East Asia turned to a base of dispatch of messages forpeace and denuclearization, its positive impact on the development of the whole Asia and the rest of
the world will be immeasurable.
The creation and the consolidation of nuclear weapon-free zones and achieving the early entry
into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty remain important. Convening of an international
conference for the establishment of a zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in
the Middle East, unanimously resolved by the 1995 NPT Review Conference and further agreed by
the 2010 NPT Review Conference, as well as achieving denuclearization and peace in the region is anurgent task. Given that the US Trump Administration has violated the JCPOA, the agreement with Iran,we will hold fast to calling for the diplomatic solution of the problem. The peaceful settlement ofregional disputes is crucial to moving forward to “a world without nuclear weapons”. We call for asolution to the Palestinian issue based on the right to self-determination and justice. We further call foran end to the use of force and military intervention in Syria and intensified diplomatic efforts to help
achieve the settlement of the civil war through political dialogue.
We express our solidarity with the movement for a nuclear-free, peaceful Japan. Now more thanever Japan is urged to play the role befitting the only A-bombed country. The Government of Japan,
however, is eliciting both disappointment and criticism by staunchly opposing the TPNW. It shouldsign and ratify the treaty immediately. The problem at the root of this attitude is its deep reliance on
the so-called “nuclear umbrella”, the extended nuclear deterrence provided by the United States. As
the country that knows the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan should firmly refuse the policythat assumes the use of nuclear weapons. The build-up of US bases in Japan, forced to proceed under
the pretext of the “threat of North Korea” should stop immediately. We express our solidarity to thepeople of Okinawa and demand that the ongoing plan of constructing a new US base at Henoko, which
infringes the dignity of the Okinawan people, should be scrapped immediately. Diplomacy based on
and honoring Article 9 of the Constitution, which declares the renunciation of war and the possessionof war potentials, is the right way to join the current for peace in Asia and the rest of the world.
To respond to the desire of the Hibakusha for seeing a world without nuclear weapons in their
lifetime, and to actually move the world in that direction, building the public support and the movement
is now all the more important. To defeat the “nuclear deterrence” doctrine, the key is to reveal theinhuman nature of nuclear weapons. It is crucial for the Hibakusha and civil society, together withyounger generation, to urgently appeal for the achievement of the complete elimination of nuclear
weapons while endeavoring to make the damage and aftereffects of the A-bombings widely known.
In addition to urging national governments to join the TPNW, we must expand our cooperation2

with various other movements as well as the efforts made on the governmental level, thus further
developing cooperation between civil society movements and governments.
Now is the time to build a grand-scale movement to open a wide path to “a nuclear weapon-freeworld”, overcoming the resistance of pro-nuclear forces. While pressing for the earliest possible entry
into force of the TPNW, in view of the 2020 NPT Review Conference, let us urge the five nuclear
weapon states to implement all the agreements they have thus far accepted and fulfill their
responsibility and obligations under Article 6 to conduct nuclear disarmament negotiations. Following
Pyeongchang, the Olympic Games will take place in Asia in succession (Tokyo 2020 in summer and
Beijing 2022 in winter). Let us use these opportunities to build a peace regime in North East Asia, as
well as a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula, to make this region a foundation for sending out
messages for a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons.
We propose the following actions around the world:- With the international campaign to collect hundreds of millions of signatures in support of the
Hibakusha Appeal by 2020, the 75th year of the atomic bombing, as our core action, let us develop avariety of actions and international cooperation calling for a nuclear weapon- free world. Many more
opportunities should be created to exhibit A-bomb photo panels and hear the testimonies of the
Hibakusha, combining them with nuclear disarmament actions planned in each country. Let us planinternational joint actions on such occasions as the disarmament deliberations of the 73rd Session of
the UNGA (from September through December 2018) and the Third PrepCom (April-May 2019 in
New York) of the 2020 NPT Review Conference.
- For the relief and solidarity with the Hibakusha, we support their demand for justice and theState compensation. We support the nuclear test victims in their demand for international relief. We
call for relief to the victims of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPP accidents and for all other nuclear
victims. We will work in solidarity with the movement demanding ZERO nuclear power plants. Let
us support the victims of the Agent Orange, depleted uranium, chemical weapons and other war victims.
- Let us call for the peaceful settlement of regional conflicts. Let us unfold actions for the drastic
cut in military expenditures and for the reduction and dismantling of foreign military bases.
- Let us expand solidarity and cooperation with movements for environmental protection, to stop
global warming, eradication of poverty and the social gap, improvement of the living standards andsocial welfare, an end to all forms of discrimination and realization of gender equality and social justice,and for the protection of human rights and democracy.
The adoption of the TPNW demonstrates that the world is moving from the superpower
domination to a new era where all nations will decide on common issues facing the world on an equal
footing. It will be the era where civil society will be able to contribute to the solution of internationally
important problems by forming public opinion. With deep conviction on such developments, let us
move forward to achieving a world without nuclear weapons.
August 4, 2018
International Meeting,The 2018 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs

3

The 2018 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs
Resolution adopted by the Nagasaki Rally, August 9, 2018

Letter from Nagasaki to All National Governments
Assembled in Nagasaki, the second city to have been A-bombed following Hiroshima 73 years
ago, we call on all national governments to redouble your efforts to achieve “a world without nuclear
weapons”.
TANIGUCHI Sumiteru*, known as the “Postman of Nagasaki” who devoted himself toappealing globally for the elimination of nuclear weapons, with the scars of third degree burns allover his back, left his final message shortly before he died in August last year. He said, “I fear what
will happen to our collective memory after all the Hibakusha have died… I want every effort bemade to get rid of nuclear weapons without a moment's delay”.
For decades, the Hibakusha, the A-bomb survivors, have shared their difficult experiences withpeople and exclaimed that humans and nuclear weapons cannot coexist. We urge all government
leaders to sincerely listen to the Hibakusha and take action for the survival of humanity.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki evidenced what catastrophic humanitarianconsequences the use of nuclear weapons would bring about. These tragedies should never be
repeated under any circumstances. Over fourteen thousand warheads which still exist in the world
are threatening the survival of humanity. To save the human race from this danger and protect thepeace and security of all nations, the complete elimination of nuclear weapons is the only way
forward.
“A world without nuclear weapons” is a common aspiration of humankind. The adoption of theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons adopted by the UN Conference on July 7 last year
marked a historic step forward to reach this goal, which has kindled hope among Hibakusha andmany others throughout the world. Yet, we must overcome many difficulties and obstacles toadvance to the goal. To open the prospect for peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons,
we appeal to all national governments to take the following actions:- Sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons without delay; promoteinternational cooperation to ensure that the TPNW enter into force, based on the spirit of the treaty;- Carry out the “unequivocal undertaking” to “achieve the complete elimination of nuclear
arsenals” agreed upon by the major nuclear weapons states in 2000, the “special effort to establish aframework” for it, and the obligation under Article 6 of the NPT to hold disarmament negotiations;
implement the resolution adopted in 2010 to convene an international conference on the creation of a
nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East immediately;- Encourage educational activities on the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, such as hearing thetestimonies by Hibakusha, organizing photo-panel exhibitions on the damage by the A-bombings,
and providing assistance in the signature collection campaign in support of the International
Hibakusha Appeal and support a variety of other activities by civil society groups.
Achieving “a world without nuclear weapons” requires cooperation between governments andcivil society. We heartily appeal for everyone to join hands to reach the goal.
No More Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis! No More Hibakusha! Nagasaki should remain
the last place that suffered a nuclear bomb attack!           August 9, 2018-----------------------------*Taniguchi Sumiteru was a Co-Chairperson of the Japan Confederation of A-and H-BombSufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) and one of the original initiators of the International
Hibakusha Appeal Signature Campaign.
4

International Meeting2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs
Main Theme:
For a Nuclear Weapon-Free, Peaceful and Just World

messages of inquiry and sympathy from overseas
friends as well as delegates to the World
Conference.
Portions of railroads and expressways wereheavily damaged, some sections so heavily that it
will take months or even years to repair them. In asevere heat wave that was said to be just as
dangerous as the natural disaster, the effort torecover from the devastation caused by heavy rain
has just started. I would like to thank ourcolleagues and friends in Hiroshima, Okayama,
and other prefectures in the western Japaneseregions of San-in, Shikoku and Kyushu forworking very hard to host the World Conference
against A and H Bombs in spite of the manydifficulties. I hope that these regions will recoverfrom the disaster as early as possible and that as
many people as possible will participate in theWorld Conference we are holding from today for aworld free of nuclear weapons. I also hope that theOpening Session (August 3)
Address of the Organizer:
Noguchi Kunikazu
Co-Chair, Steering Committee,
Organizing Committee
Let me take this opportunity to express my deep
condolences to the more than 220 people who losttheir lives in the rain disaster in July mainly inwestern Japan. I also offer my heartfelt sympathy
to those who were injured and whose homes weredamaged. Over 40,000 houses were totally or
partially destroyed or inundated with flood water.
The damage inflicted by the disaster wasparticularly severe in Hiroshima Prefecture. In fact,
about half of all victims were located in Hiroshima
Prefecture. Gensuikyo has received many5

World Conference will give the many participants
an opportunity to hear the Hibakushas’ stories
about their exposure to atomic bomb radiation andthe after-effects as well as reports from overseas
peace groups.
Allow me on behalf of the organizers of the2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs towelcome all participants from abroad and fromvarious parts of Japan. I want to extend mysolidarity to all delegates.
This year, we have the honor to welcome
government representatives from Ireland, Austria,
Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela - countries that did
their utmost to get the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons adopted in a quest for a “Nuclear
Weapon-free, Peaceful and Just world”. Antinuclear and peace movement representatives fromSouth Korea and Asia-Pacific region are present at
this International Meeting. They are the ones who
are making every effort to denuclearize the Korean
Peninsula and create a peace system in Northeast
Asia. Many international delegates who are playing
a great role are here from Europe, the Middle East,
Africa, and the Americas. They are representativesof the anti-nuclear movement, dedicated grassroots
activists, and nuclear radiation victims.
From Japan are heads of local government,
people campaigning to collect “30 million
signatures” launched by Citizens Action against
Abe’s Constitutional Revision of Article 9, thosepeople who are campaigning in opposition to the“work style” reform legislation and the Casino
legislation, those people who are in the forefront of
the movement to end reliance on nuclear power
generation and the movement to dismantle USbases, and many Hibakusha of Hiroshima andNagasaki.

Bombs (Gensuikyo). In August 1956, the Second
World Conference was held in Nagasaki, thesecond city to be attacked with nuclear weapons.
The Japan Confederation of A- and H-BombSufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) was
founded during that World Conference.
The First World Conference confirmed that theMovement against A and H Bombs should pursue
three objectives: the prevention of nuclear war, a
total ban on and elimination of nuclear weapons,
and relief for and solidarity with the Hibakusha.
The present Movement against A and H Bombs
retains these three objectives. Today, 63 years after
the First World Conference, there still exist morethan 14,000 nuclear weapons on earth.
However, our movement has tenaciously
carried on the call for the elimination of nuclear
weapons, steadfastly producing results. In July lastyear, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons was adopted at the United Nations with122 countries, which accounts for more than 60%
of U.N. members, voting in favor. For the first time
ever, a treaty definitely has outlawed nuclear
weapons. While nuclear weapons possessing
countries and countries relying on the “nuclear
umbrella” refuse to sign or ratify the treaty, theycannot evade political and moral responsibility. It
would be correct to say that the adoption of thetreaty marked a great turning point towards a“nuclear weapon-free, peaceful and just world”.
The year following the treaty’s adoption has seen
steady progress toward that goal, although there
have been retreats as well as advances.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons must take effect without delay
The treaty prohibits the development, testing,manufacturing, acquisition, possession, stockpiling,transferring or stationing of nuclear weapons orother nuclear explosives. It also prohibits the use of
threat to use nuclear weapons. In addition, it
prohibits assistance and encouragement andinducement to the activities forbidden by the treaty
as well as stationing, installation and deploymentof nuclear weapons. The treaty rejects the doctrineof nuclear deterrence. It would outlaw a national
security policy embracing a “nuclear umbrella” torely on nuclear deterrents provided by any nucleararmed countries. It can be said that the treaty serves
to stigmatize nuclear weapons.
Many people may have already realized that theprovisions of the treaty are very similar to what theWorld Conference has long called for. This meansthat if people committed to banning andeliminating nuclear weapons are brought together
from all over the world to discuss the issue inearnest, the conclusion would always be the same.

Three starting points of the Movement against
A and H Bombs
The Movement against A and H Bombs grew
rapidly after Japanese fishing boats were showeredwith nuclear fallout from a hydrogen bomb test
explosion at Bikini Atoll in March of 1954. Thirtytwo million signatures were collected in support ofthe movement against nuclear weapons. That’s
almost half of the eligible voters at the time. Thisnationwide signature campaign against atomic andhydrogen bombs led to the First World Conference
against A and H Bombs in August 1955 inHiroshima, the first city to be attacked with anuclear bomb. More than 5,000 people fromcountries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, andelsewhere participated in the World Conference. In
September that year, the Preparatory Committee
and the National Council for the Petition Campaign
merged to form the Japan Council against A and H

6

In that sense, the treaty represents the achievementof multilateral negotiations and it is also theculmination of many years of discussion we have
had in the World Conference. The president of the
UN Conference to negotiate a legally-binding
instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, Elayne
Whyte, said that the prohibition treaty was realized
thanks to the cooperation between the governmentsof non-nuclear countries and civil society, with
Hibakusha as the “driving force”.
The Treaty was opened for signatures on
September 20, 2017. It will enter into force 90 days
after the 50th country deposits the instrument of
ratification of the Treaty. The adoption of theTreaty is only a first step to the elimination of
nuclear weapons. As the representatives of thegovernments of Austria and Mexico, countries that
led the discussion in favor of the Treaty, have stated,“there is a lot to do to make this Treaty binding andeffective”. The task now is for us to focus on an
early entry into force of the Treaty. As of August 2,
2018, the Treaty has been signed by 59 countries
and ratified by13 countries. I hope that the Treaty
will enter into force as soon as possible.

Let us raise public awareness and increase themovement against nuclear weapons and forpeace on the strength of the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons.
While the U.S. and North Korea haveembarked on the “Peace Process” after overcoming
a potentially dangerous situation last year, thenuclear weapon countries have been increasing
their resistance in order to hold on to theprerogatives they have enjoyed to date thanks tonuclear weapons. The Trump administration in
February published the “Nuclear Posture Review”
that reaffirmed its policy to modernize its nuclear
arsenals and develop more usable small nuclear
weapons, making clear that it is ready to use
nuclearweapons
first.
Russia’s
Putin
administration in his annual Presidential Message
announced measures to counter the U.S. posture,including the development of new intercontinental
ballistic missiles and cruise missiles that can beloaded with nuclear warheads.
Japan’s government led by Prime Minister Abe
Shinzo is clinging to its “nuclear umbrella”. Even
though Japan is the only nation to have been
attacked with nuclear weapons in war, thegovernment is turning its back on the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons, making clear that
it will neither sign nor ratify the Treaty. The Abegovernment is incapable of correctly understanding
the changing situation on the Korean Peninsula
where dialogue has started between South andNorth Koreas, and between the U.S. and North
Korea. It is doing nothing other than calling forbringing stronger pressure to bear on North Korea.
The Abe government is going against the growing
global trend of supporting the prohibition andelimination of nuclear weapons. How shameful it
is for the Japanese government to base its national
security on a “nuclear umbrella” that has been
declared illegal. The Japanese anti-nuclear andpeace movement of a country that once
experienced the scourge of nuclear war in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki must continue to urge the
Abe government to reconsider its policy relying on
a “nuclear umbrella” and to sign and ratify theProhibition Treaty.
The overwhelming majority of the Japanesepeople opposes war and the revision of Article 9.
They are also against coverups, falsification of
official documents and taking national politics into
his own hands as seen in the scandals involving
school operators Moritomo Gakuen and Kake
Gakuen. They tend to be withdrawing support fromthe Abe government. Circles of cooperation are
growing at the national level on various fronts
ranging from opposing the construction of a new
U.S. military base in Okinawa to demanding an end

Ground-breaking Inter-Korea and US-North
Korea summits
On April 27, inter-Korea summit talks took
place at Panmunjom. The two leaders signed the“Panmunjom Declaration”. On June 12, the leadersof the U.S. and North Korea met in Singapore andsigned a joint declaration. In these two summit
meetings, the leaders agreed to commit themselvesto denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and to
making efforts to build a lasting and stable peace
system in Northeast Asia. Since the U.S.-North
Korea summit, some concrete positive steps havebeen taken. The Pentagon announced that the U.S.
would not hold U.S.-South Korea joint military
exercises over the next 3 months. North Korea hasannounced it will cancel nuclear and missile tests
and has started to destroy nuclear test sites anddismantle missile firing sites. These moves are allbased on the principle of “action for action”. North
Korea and South Korea, and North Korea and the
U.S. have long been antagonistic toward one
another. It is groundbreaking that these countries
are taking steps to build new relationships for thesake of their peace and prosperity. The cooperationof the international community with the concernedcountries is essential for ensuring a successful“peace process” leading to the denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula and the establishment ofpeace in Northeast Asia. What is needed most ismobilizing public opinion in Northeast Asia andthe rest of the world.

7

to relying on nuclear power generation.
What drives international politics is not a
handful of big powers. It is the governments of the
majority of countries and civil society. As UN
officials and national government representatives
often point to the role of civil society, the mostimportant task is for us to raise public awarenessand strengthen the movement in each country of theworld. We must use the momentum generated by
the Prohibition Treaty to spread the knowledge
about the damage and aftereffects of the atomic
bombings to help increase the effort to achieve theelimination of nuclear weapons. Let us do it inparticular by actively mobilizing ourselves in theinternational petition campaign proposed by the
Hibakusha of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Let me conclude my speech on behalf of theOrganizing Committee by expressing the hope that
the World Conference against A and H Bombs thatstarts today will be a decisive forum for rallying
forces in the Japanese antinuclear and peace
movement and defining a concrete agenda forachieving
the
Peace
Process
throughdenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula andestablishment of a peace system in Northeast Asia
to accelerate the momentum for the prohibition andelimination of nuclear weapons.

seriously damaged roofs and walls of the housewere repaired, and I lived there for 21 years until I
moved to my present residence in Chiba Prefecture
in 1966 to get a job.
I breathed the air there, drank water taken fromthe same old well, and ate locally produced
vegetables, fish and meat. Therefore, my bodywithout doubt has been affected by “internal” and“external” radiation exposure and the genes weredamaged. I believe that I have lived to this day
simply because the vital genes were not damaged.
I entered junior high school in 1956. I traveledto and from school by tram, which passed by the“A-bomb Dome” that was still left in utter
dilapidation. As I used the same tram way to go tosenior high and then to the university, the A-bombdome became a familiar site to me. In those days,
there was no peace education in the school
curriculum. In daily life, Hibakusha wereeverywhere in my area and the A-bomb would notcome up as a topic of conversation at home; nor did
people even really think deeply about the meaningof the A-bomb dome there. Yet the question of why
the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima remained
somewhere in my mind.
After retirement in 2005, I began to research toget an answer to the question and took part in work
to help a group of Hibakusha in the city of Chiba.
In 2008, I also began to help Yuaikai, a Hibakushaorganization in Chiba Prefecture, and finally, in
2015, I started working with Nihon Hidankyo, theonlyorganization
networking
Hibakusha
organizations nationwide. This is how I came tospeak in this conference.
The average age of Hibakusha is 82. I am oneof those “young” Hibakusha who were exposed to
A-bomb radiation as infants or in utero andtherefore without any memories of the atomic
bombing. But we are already 73 years old or older.
I am now 75, above which we are called latter-stageelderlies. My elder brother, who was also a
Hibakusha, died of liver cancer at age 75. He was
7 years old when he was exposed to the A-bombradiation. When the bomb was dropped, he was atelementary school about 4.5km from ground zero.
Fortunately, he sustained no injuries and camehome on foot. But on his way home he wasshowered with “black rain”. When he arrived home,
he was so blackened from head to toe that none of
the family could tell who he was. His death fromliver cancer 68 years after the atomic bombing wasapparently linked to A-bomb disease caused by theblack rain. Since I am 5 years younger than he, I
live in constant fear that something similar to mybrother may happen to me, or that my damaged
genes which have so far been quiet may now begin
their play. I am increasingly worried about theGreetings on Behalf of the Hibakusha:
Oshita Katsunori
Assistant Secretary General
Japan Confederation of A-and H-BombSufferers Organizations(Nihon Hidankyo)
I am Oshita Katsunori from the Japan
Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers
Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo. It’s a greathonor to speak before you at the International
Meeting of the 2018 World Conference against A
and H Bombs. Thank you very much for thisopportunity.
Let me begin by expressing my condolences
and sympathy to the many people affected by the
recent heavy rain in western Japan, particularly
Hiroshima, one of the hardest hit areas.
Today, 73 years after the atomic bombings ofHiroshima and Nagasaki, we are having a summer
heat like we experienced when the bomb was
dropped on Hiroshima at 8:15 am on August 6,
1945. I was two years old. I was lying in the lap of
my mother in a farmer’s house about 3.5 km westof what would become the epicenter. I have nomemory of the devastation or the inferno. The

8effects of radiation in addition to my aging. I want
no one else to suffer from such worries as we
Hibakusha have.
All Hibakusha have their own lives. They havedifferent ideas. But all Hibakusha share the desirethat there must be no more Hibakusha. In July lastyear, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons was adopted by the UN Conference but
has not yet come into effect. The treaty will enter
into force after being ratified by 50 countries. But
to date, it has been ratified by no more than 11
countries. Japan, the only A-bombed country,
should take the lead in ratifying it and play the roleof a bridge between the non-nuclear states and thenuclear powers. It is outrageous that the country is
actually opposing the treaty on the grounds that itis relying on the “nuclear umbrella”. As a
Hibakusha, I am really infuriated by the Japanese
government opposition. The nuclear weapons are
absolute evil and not necessary evils, weapons of
the devil, which do not need to exist on earth.
The Hibakusha want nuclear weapons to beeliminated in earnest. We started the internationalsignature campaign in support of the Hibakusha
Appeal because we want a world without nuclear
weapons to be achieved in our lifetimes so that nofuture generation will be forced into a hell on earth.

Under these circumstances, this campaign has greatsignificance and invigorates us all. The 2017 Nobel
Peace Prize awarded to the International Campaign
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was a great
encouragement to us. Let us collect many moresignatures in Japan and the rest of the world andbuild a mountain of signatures in front of the UN
headquarters in 2020. I invite each of you to collectsignatures from five people and ask them to collectsignatures from another five people, asking them todo the same. I cordially ask for your cooperation.
I am still trying to get a clear answer to thequestion: Why was the A-bomb dropped on
Hiroshima? Meanwhile I have been speculatingthat it was for the US to save face after squanderinga huge amount of money on the Manhattan Project,or to show off its power, or to conduct humanexperimentation. There was no necessity at all todrop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. I willcontinue my research and study on my own.
I will conclude my speech on behalf of the
Hibakusha by hoping that the 2018 World
Conference against A and H Bombs in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, which is taking place under thetheme, “For a nuclear weapon-free, peaceful andjust world”, will be successful and meaningful forall participants from around the world.

9

Messages from the Heads/Leaders of National
Governments and International Organizations
this historic meeting, further diplomaticefforts should bring about the denuclearization ofand lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula.
One year ago, on 7 July 2017, the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted in the
UN. It was a historic step forward towards a world
without nuclear weapons. The Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons fills a key
remaining legal gap in international law regarding
weapons of mass destruction by establishing aclear-cutprohibitionofnuclear weapons,
stigmatizing their possession, production,
deployment and use or threat of use, at a juncture
in history when these weapons have become moreof a risk to humanity than ever.
We look forward for all States that arecommitted to the complete elimination of all
nuclear weapons, including, but not limited to, theoverwhelming number of States that supported theadoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons, to signing and ratifying theTreaty at the earliest possible date.
We know now more than ever that the risks are
too high, the dangers too real. It is time for States,
and all those of us in a position to influence them,to act with urgency and determination to bring theera of nuclear weapons to an end. As the UN
Secretary General correctly points out in his
important new disarmament agenda, "Theexistential threat that nuclear weapons pose tohumanity must motivate us to accomplish new anddecisive action leading to their total elimination.
We owe this to the Hibakusha and to our planet."
With these words, I thank the organizers of theWorld Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen
Bombs as well as civil society in Japan for their
ongoing commitment and work in this field andhope for a future without nuclear weapons, so thatno one else has to endure the horrors of nuclear war
that has gravely affected the lives of so many
innocent people already.

Alexander Van der Bellen
Federal President
Republic of Austria
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has
shown us directly the devastating and longlasting impacts of nuclear weapon explosions. And
today, more than 70 years later, an alarmingly highamount of 14.500 of these same weapons are still
being stockpiled around the world, threatening ourvery existence. The only way to eliminate thisthreat is to get rid of nuclear weapons altogether.
The existence of even a single nuclear warhead isan unacceptable risk, given the catastrophic
humanitarian consequences of a nuclear
weapon explosion.
But instead of disarmament, the prevailing
trend
seems
to
be
modernizationofnuclear arsenals, leading to a new arms race
triggering more tensions and a heightened risk for
all of us. These weapons cannot provide protection
and their continued maintenance entails great risks
to all of us, including those who possess them.
Accidental nuclear weapon detonations remain avery real danger. Malfunctions, false alarms andmisinterpreted information have led to numerous
instances where the incidence of an accidental
nuclear detonation has hung on a razor's edge. Aslong as there are some States that refuse to disposeof their nuclear weapon arsenals, there will beothers who will want them too.
Particularly in view of the potential
humanitarian consequences, progress in the fieldof nuclear disarmament is insufficient. Althoughthenumberofwarheads
has
comedown substantially since the time of the Cold War,they remain at levels that put the survival of
the complete human race at risk. So the full andeffective implementation of the legal instrumentsin this field is of utmost importance.
50 years ago the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty was signed, but after all these years the lackof proper implementation of its disarmament pillar
is still with us. This undermines confidence in andcredibility of the treaty and nurtures proliferation.
Also in Europe we are concerned about the nuclear
weapons and missile programme of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea. I welcome the USDPRK Summit as an important step into theright direction. Building on the positive outcome of10

intensify their efforts so that we reach the goal of aworld free of nuclear weapons.
In this effort, we count on the support ofimportant civil society organizations, such as
Gensuikyo."Michel Temer
President
Federative Republic of Brazil"It is an honour for me to convey this message
to the "World Conference Against Atomic andHydrogen Bombs".
The words that come to my mind when I thinkof Hiroshima and Nagasaki are: "never again".
Never again must we allow that human beings bevictims of these terrible weapons.
This Conference pays tribute to the thousandsof children, women and men who fell victim to the
nuclear bombs that destroyed Hiroshima andNagasaki. Their memory will forever remind us of
the horrific humanitarian consequences of nuclear
weapons. Their suffering will forever remind us
that the very existence of these weapons constitutes
a major threat to international peace and security.
Brazil regrets that, almost 50 years today
since the entry into force of the NPT, glaring"compliance deficits" still remain with respect tothe elimination of nuclear arsenals. More than two
decades after the end of the Cold War, there is an
estimated number of 17.000 nuclear warheads (ofwhich more than 4.000 are in deployed status)
under the control of states parties and non-partiesof the NPT.
The destructive capacity of nuclear weapons
is indiscriminate and disproportional. As
demonstrated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, their use
would necessarily entail severe and wide-ranging
consequences of humanitarian concern. It would be
impossible, for instance, to distinguish between thedestruction of military and civilian targets, or
between combatants and non-combatants.
Having these concerns in consideration, theUnited Nations decided to adopt, in 2017, a legallybinding instrument that, once and for all, outlaws
these weapons. By banning the only category of
weapons of mass destruction yet to be subjected toa global prohibition, the Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) seeks to stigmatize
the possession of the most destructive of all
weapons.
Driven by a strong sense of responsibility andurgency, Brazil and a group of more than ahundred-and-twenty States that supported the
TPNW were convinced that the current security
environment allows no room for procrastination.
Humanity cannot afford to wait for the "right time"
to come to do away with nuclear weapons. We musteliminate them without any further ado.
Today, once again, as we pay homage to thevictims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Brazilian
government and people call upon the nucleararmed States to show real political resolve andMichael D. Higgins
President
Republic of Ireland
It is an honour and a privilege to once again
convey a message of solidarity to the World
Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs
and to have this opportunity to express Ireland's
support for your tireless efforts to bring global
attention to the threats posed by the continued
existence of nuclear weapons.
In the 73 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
the shadow cast by the threat of nuclear weapons
has grown substantially. So too, however, have thecollective and ethically grounded actions andefforts of civil society and governments alike. Suchefforts are critical if we are to ensure that theappalling scenes of devastation in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki are never repeated.
The importance of your work in this regard
should not be underestimated. It reminds us that weare engaged in disarmament not for its own sakebut because of the effects that these terrible
weapons have had on the many human beings who
have suffered the appalling and generational
consequences of the use of the most destructive
weapon ever invented. The core of arms control
and disarmament is its humanitarian purpose,and this purpose must not become lost in
traditionalandsometimes
abstract
international security debates.
The work of this conference in highlighting thecatastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear
weapons helped lay the foundations for thenegotiations leading to the new Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty is
truly ground-breaking, not only in its prohibition of
nuclear weapons but also in its provisions on
victimassistance andcooperation,onenvironmental remediation, and its recognition of
the role of disarmament education. Given the keyrole played by survivors and the impact that
their powerful testimony has around the globe, it iswholly fitting that the role of the Hibakusha isdirectly and prominently referenced in the Treaty.
Ireland shares the desire to achieve a world freeof nuclear weapons and I am proud of Ireland's rolein the process leading to the adoption of the Treaty.
It builds on Ireland's long-standing advocacy for
nuclear disarmament and we are certain that the11

Once again, on behalf of the Government andpeople of the Lao PDR, I wish the 2018 World
Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs
brilliant success. (Unofficial translation)

new Treaty will strengthen and complement the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to which
we remain deeply committed. Like the NPT, theProhibition Treaty demonstrates what can beachieved through effective and responsible
multilateralism, even during a time of increasing
uncertainty in the international environment. Bothtreaties are reminders that we must meet challenges
that threaten to erode the fundamental tenets that
underpin our multilateral, rules-based system withaction, not inertia.
The progress made in recent years will no doubt
be celebrated at this year's Conference, but there is
still work to be done and significant challenges toconfront. The conclusion of the Treaty last year isvery much the beginning of a new phase of workthat we must undertake to achieve tangible
progress toward a world free of nuclear weapons; aworld where the human and financial resources
dedicated to weapons of mass destruction
are instead focussed on the abolition of poverty andthe attainment of true human security as set out in
the Sustainable Development Goals.
At the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo2017, Hibakusha Ms. Setsuko Thurlow compared
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
to a guiding light. Whilst we will face many moreobstacles in the quest to eliminate nuclear weapons,
we must never let that light be extinguished.
I would like to wish this conference every
success as you continue with your vital work.

K. P. Sharma Oli
Prime Minister of Nepal/
Patron, Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity
Organization of Nepal (AAPSO Nepal)
It gives me pleasure to know that Gensuikyo isorganizing the World Conference against A and H
Bombs beginning from the 2nd August to 9th 2018,
in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in thememory of the people who lost their lives in 1945
and afterward too because of the dropping of Atombombs on those two cities. The Gensuikyo is
doing a great job by organizing such a conference
from 1955 every year to perpetuate the memory of
the victims of the bomb attack first time in thehistory of human beings. I believe that such a
conference of an international repute will help
widen the concern of peace loving people aroundthe world in order to bring a moral pressure to theconcerned authorities to eliminate the existing A
and H bombs so that people in the world could besaved from having to face the fate of people ofHiroshima and Nagasaki.
The participant
representatives from around the globe willcertainly carry a message of peace and a feeling ofan urgent need to discourage the proliferation as
well as making of A and H bombs. It is a wellestablished fact that no country and people will
ever win any nuclear war if it even happens on any
pretext. We need a total and irreversible reversal of
the proliferation of A and H Bombs to save thehumanity from human made disaster.  It is a
responsibility bestowed upon us by the present
time, and we cannot have any excuse to escapefrom this path. We know that the bombs existing
now in many countries are strong enough to destroy
the earth hundred times bigger than the one we areliving on.
It is a collective responsibility and people of all
countries should take the issue with an equal
urgency and sincerity. Nepal is always in favor of
making the earth and space free from nuclear
weapons. We want the complete destruction of
the existing nuclear weapons and a total ban on
further building and developing nuclear weapons
whether on the earth or space. We too aresurrounded by nuclear power countries, and weunderstand the pain and gravity of the situation.
Nepal has been raising its concern in theinternational forums consistently and constantly toalert the concerned countries from developing their

Bounnhang Vorachith
President
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
On behalf of the Government and People of the
Lao People's Democratic Republic, I would like toconvey my warmest congratulations to theorganizing committee and all delegatesparticipating in the 2018 World Conference against
Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs to he held on 02 -09
August 2018 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Prefectures in Japan.
I highly value the convening of this World
Conference which has been taking place over the
past 70 years in remembrance of the victims of theatomic bombings highlighting the dreadful impact
on the lives and properties of the people in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Prefectures.
I am confident that this year’s Conference willfurther enhance the role of the world community intheir joint cooperation to fight against and preventthe use of atomic and hydrogen bombs in order tobuild the world of lasting peace, stability and freefrom weapons of mass destruction.
12

nuclear arsenals.
AAPSO Nepal has been participating in theconference organized by Gensuikyo for many years
and will continue to do so in future to reassure oursolidarity with the people of Japan. I hope the2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs
will be a great success in achieving its objectives
and mission.
AAPSO Nepal will actively
registering the serious concern and also thecommitment to free the world from another nuclear
catastrophe caused by our follies and flaws. On
behalf of the Government of Nepal and my own,
and AAPSO Nepal, I would like to extend mygreetings and best wishes for the success of theconference. We pay tribute to the victims of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and we fully support andSolidarity with the Hibakushas the A-bombs
sufferers.
On this occasion, we should redouble ourefforts to bring a positive change in the globe tosave the humanity and the planet, too. And it ispossible to make a change if we all get united witha voice of rationality for the sake of humanity.
Greetings to all.

Conference against Atomic & Hydrogen Bombs
and wish you well in hosting this milestone event.

Trần Đại Quang
President
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
On behalf of the State, people and peace
movement of Vietnam, I avail myself of thisopportunity to extend our friendship and best
regards to international and Japanese participantsin the 2018 World Conference against Atomic andHydrogen Bombs.
Over the last 63 years since the first World
Conference against A & H Bombs in 1955 - 10
years after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki massacres,
peace movements and peace-loving people acrossthe world have spared no effort in the struggle
against nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction and achieved encouraging results. Suchefforts have made a significant contribution to the1968 Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons and the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons, and more recently, in 2018, theInter-Korea Summit and the US-Korea Summit,
which opened up new prospects for the settlementof the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
Having suffered from consequences of Agent
Orange on human beings and the environment, theVietnamese people are fully aware of the dreadfulaftermaths of nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction. Vietnam has always been consistent in
its policy against nuclear weapons and is one of thefirst countries having endorsed, signed and ratified
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
We have high expectations of the strong
development of the world peace movement against
nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction andfor their abolition. We are confident that thisyear’s conference will offer a chance for peace
forces and organizations the world over to jointly
initiate new activities against nuclear and otherweapons of mass destruction, reaffirm solidarity
with victims of A&H bombs, victims of Agent
Orange and other war victims for a world of peacesecurity, stability and sustainable development.
On this occasion, I would like to express my
deep gratitude for the heartfelt sympathy andeffective support that peace movements of theworld and Japan, including the Japan Council
against A & H Bombs (Gensuikyo), have reservedfor Vietnam in our struggle for national
independence and reunification in the past as wellas our efforts in national construction anddevelopment at present.
May I wish the Conference great success!

Cyril RamaphosaPresident
Republic of South Africa
I wish to express my sincere appreciation foryour letter to me, dated 11 April 2018, as well as toconvey my full support to you and the Steering
Committee of the 2018 World Conference Against
Atomic & Hydrogen Bombs.
South Africa stands in solidarity with theinternational community in its efforts to ensure thatthe world does not experience a repeat of thedestruction and terrible loss of lives that took placein Hiroshima and Nagasaki more than 70 years ago,
as we reaffirm our position on the complete ban of
nuclear weapons. This year, as we commemorate
the Centenary of the birth of our liberation icon, thelate President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, allow
me to quote from his address to the 53rd United
Nations General Assembly in September 1998,
when he said "Continuously, we have to fight todefeat the primitive tendency towards theglorification of arms, the adulation of force, bornof the illusion that injustice can be perpetuated by
the capacity to kill, or that disputes are necessarily
best resolved by resort to violent means". Nuclear
weapons pose a serious threat to humanity and,
therefore, the global community must take concrete
steps to finally and completely eliminate them.
As requested in your letter, I herewith wish toconvey a Message of Solidarity to the 2018 World

13

Middle East, and strongly urge the United Nations
Secretary-General and the three cosponsors of the
1995 Resolution on the Middle East to fully
implement it without further delay, taking into
account that the indefinite extension of the NPT is
inextricably linked to the implementation of thisResolution.
8. Moreover, while reaffirming the absolutevalidity of multilateral diplomacy in the field of
disarmament and non-proliferation, we reiterate
our determination to promote multilateralism as thecore principle of negotiations in the area of
disarmament and nonproliferation. We must
underline that multilateralism and multilaterally
agreed solutions, in accordance with the UN
Charter, provide the only sustainable method ofaddressing disarmament and international security
issues.
9. In this connection, the Movement
emphasizes that progress in nuclear disarmamentand nuclear non-proliferation in all its aspects isessential to strengthening international peace andsecurity. Therefore, we reaffirm that the totalelimination of nuclear weapons is the only absoluteguarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear
weapons.
10. To conclude, the Non-Aligned Movement(NAM) invites the international community tocommemorate and promote the International
Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear
Weapons through all means of educational andpublic awareness-raising activities, as outlined
in resolution 68/32 of the General Assembly of
the United Nations; while also inviting it toparticipate on 26 September 2018 in the UN
High-Level Plenary Meeting to observe said day.
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)(Presented by Seiko Ishikawa,
Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republicof Venezuela)
1. It is an honor for the Bolivarian Republic ofVenezuela to take the floor during this year's World
Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs,
on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
2. At the outset, allow us to thank the
distinguished Organizing Committee for its kind
invitation to participate in this important World
Conference, under the theme "For a Nuclear
Weapon-Free, Peaceful and Just World", and whichis convened at a time when we mark the 73rd
Anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki.
3. We would also like to avail ourselves of thisopportunity to express our sincere appreciation andgratitude to the People of both Hiroshima andNagasaki for their kind generosity and hospitality.
4. Since its establishment, the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) has remained at the forefront of
nuclear disarmament, and has termed nuclear
disarmament as its highest priority, while striving
towards achieving the goal of the total eliminationof nuclear weapons, considering, among others, thethreat posed to humanity by the continued
existence of nuclear weapons and of their possible
use or threat of use.
5. In this regard, it is worth noting that during
the XVIII Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), held in April
2018 in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, theMinisters welcomed the multilateral efforts
towards nuclear disarmament and the totalelimination of nuclear weapons. Moreover, they
took note of the adoption of the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons on 7 July 2017 at
the United Nations conference to negotiate alegally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear
weapons, leading towards their total elimination.
We hope that, when entered into force, the Treaty
would contribute to furthering the objective of thetotal elimination of nuclear weapons.
6. The Member States of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) seize this opportunity toreiterate their continued concern over the current
difficult and complex situation in the field of
disarmament and international security, whilecalling for renewed efforts to resolve the current
impasse in achieving nuclear disarmament andnuclear nonproliferation in all its aspects.
7. In this regard, they continue to express their
deep concern over the long delay in theimplementation of the 1995 Resolution on
establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in thePeter Maurer
President, International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC)As an organization that works to protect the
lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict andto ensure the faithful implementation ofinternational humanitarian law, the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply
concerned about the potential use andconsequences of nuclear weapons. These weapons
are unique in their destructive power, in theunspeakable human suffering they cause, in theimpossibility of controlling their effects in space
and time, and in the threat they pose to theenvironment and to future generations.
It has been just over a year since the Treaty on
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was
adopted. It is the first globally applicable14multilateral agreement to comprehensively
prohibit nuclear weapons (including theprohibition on use, development, production,acquisition, possession, transfer, testing andthreatening to use nuclear weapons). It is also thefirst to contain commitments to assist victims of
nuclear weapons use and testing and to facilitate
the remediation of contaminated environments.
The Treaty complements existing international
agreements on nuclear weapons, in particular theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban
Treaty and agreements establishing nuclearweapon-free zones. It confirms that the majority ofStates unequivocally rejects these weapons on
moral, humanitarian and now legal grounds. It also
reinforces the stigma against the use of nuclear
weapons, supports commitments to nuclear risk
reduction and is a clear disincentive forproliferation – all of which are especially important

today with rising regional and international
tensions, and the consequent increasing risk of
nuclear weapon use.
The ICRC and the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement welcomed the adoption of
the TPNW as an essential and long-awaited step
toward a future free of nuclear weapons. We musthowever continue to appeal to urgent efforts by all
to ensure that nuclear weapons are never again used.
Indeed, if a nuclear conflict happened today, there
would be no international plan nor capacity torespond adequately to even a limited use of nuclear
weapons. The only sound course of action isprevention.
Last but not least, the ICRC would like tocommend the Japan Council against Atomic andHydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) for its invaluable
work in support of the victims of the atomic
bombings and its persistent efforts to bring the eraof such inhumane weapons to an end.

15

Plenary Session I:
Damage and Suffering from A-Bombings in Hiroshima & Nagasaki;
Inhuman Nature of Nuclear Weapons; Struggle of the Hibakusha㸦August 2㸧
half of whom are believed to have died. No
accurate figures are available because alladministrative functions had been destroyed.
The aforementioned “Effects of A-Bomb
Radiation” shows that as of August 10, 1946, thatis a year after the atomic bombings, 118,661 people
had died in Hiroshima and 73,884 in Nagasaki. A
report made in 1986 to the United Nations said thatthe “number of deaths in the early stages” was140,000 㸦 ±10,000 㸧 in Hiroshima and 70,000
㸦±10,000㸧in Nagasaki.
88.7% of these deceased people died within thefirst two weeks after the bombing, and almost allothers died by the eighth week. Both in Hiroshima
and in Nagasaki, about 50% of people who were
within 1.2 km of the hypocenter died. 20% diedafter sustaining external injuries like broken spineor pelvis caused by the bomb blast, another 20%
died of radiation disorders, and the remaining 60%
died of exposure to heat rays and external injuries
sustained in the fire that broke out after the
explosion.
Median lethal radiation dose (LD50) is said torange from 2.7 to 3.1 gray (Gy) in terms of bonemarrow radiation. That means that 50% of people
exposed to 4 sieverts (Sv) of radiation eventually
die from it.
As I have discussed so far, the first andforemost feature of nuclear weapons’ “inhumanenature” is without doubt its “instantaneousness”.
Before Hiroshima, did any single bomb used in war
kill more than 100 people in one explosion? Maybea few people or dozens of people, and not more.
The atomic bomb, with a massive destructive
power 10,000 times that of conventional bombs,
has made it possible to kill all citizens of a town at
a stroke. Atrocity is what nuclear weapons areabout. I think that nuclear weapon states are
refusing to give up their nuclear arsenals becauseof their enormously destructive power.
The second feature is that nuclear weapons killpeople indiscriminately. This is another aspect of
the inhumanity and it is linked to theinstantaneousness. Historically, the outcome of war
was affected by fighting between combatants
mobilized by states. However, in this nuclear war,
an atomic bomb was released and exploded in the

Introductory Reports:
Fujiwara Hidefumi, M.D.
Director of Fukushima Coop Hospital,
Hiroshima/ Chair, Commission on A-Bomb
Survivors, Japanese Federation of
Democratic Medical Institutions (Min-Iren)
I am a doctor of internal medicine and work at
Fukushima Co-op Hospital located about 1.5 km
west of the hypocenter in Hiroshima. Even today,
about one third of my patients are A-bomb
survivors or Hibakusha. I was born in Hiroshimain1956, 11 years after the end of WWII. Naturally,
I have no experience of the atomic bombing and do
not have firsthand knowledge of the damage andafter-effects of the bombing. But as a doctor bornafter World War II, I have been listening to my
Hibakusha patients’ stories during consultations.
They talk haltingly about what the damage andafter-effects of the atomic bombing were, about theordeals they had to endure after the bombing, andabout the 73 years of their struggle for life.
More than 70 years since the bombing,
Hibakusha have lived embracing a mixture ofdifferent feelings. I would like to take thisopportunity to talk about how they live today, what
their actual living conditions are, and about what
they want.
Let me start with what actually happened when
the bomb was dropped. As you know, the atomic
bomb, a new type of bomb, was dropped on
Hiroshima on August 6 and another was droppedon Nagasaki on August 9. It turned out to be amessage with implications for the survival of
humanity.
According to the report “Effects of A-Bomb
Radiation on the Human Body (Ver. 2, HICARE
2012)” based on the records and materials
compiled after the atomic bombing, the number of“deaths in the acute stage” by December 1945 was
114,000 in Hiroshima and 73,000 in Nagasaki.
These numbers do not include military personnel
and people from the Korean Peninsula working in
Hiroshima. It is estimated that there were more than
40,000 people from the Korean Peninsula, about
16

air over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
where people were living their lives as usual. It
killed a large number of these non-combatants
indiscriminately and instantaneously. The victims
included elderly people, women (including
pregnant women), students and children. It ispainful to think about it. It was a catastrophe thatcan only be described as an act of extreme
inhumanity.
In addition, the nuclear bomb destroyed, andeven uprooted, the entire social fabric, including
families, civil society and local communities. The
third feature of the inhumanity of the bomb is its
capacity to exterminate an entire humancommunity. Hibakusha in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
lost many of their family members in an instant. As
a result, a large number of people were left isolated– elderly people living by themselves, single men,widows, and children commonly referred to as Abomb orphans. The social infrastructure supporting
the livelihood of A-bomb survivors was gone,along with civil society’s systems and communities.
As a result, many Hibakusha were thrown away bysociety. Most of them later developed physical andmental after-effects and had to live in extremely
difficult conditions.
They faced poverty and many other difficulties
in life. Their lives were saved, but they lost theirhomes and had nowhere to go. They lost their jobs
and it wasn’t easy for them to find a new job.
Children lost opportunities to go back to school andended up missing out on a proper education. As aresult, there are some Hibakusha who cannot countor read properly. Many young women who had
keloids on their face or other parts of their body
were forced to give up hope of marriage. Due torumors that radiation was contagious, Hibakusha
were often discriminated against. Some chose to
keep secret that they are Hibakusha. One
Hibakusha told me frankly that he did whatever it
took to live, including stealing and cheating. All
this shows what an incredible struggle it was for
Hibakusha to live. They continue to believe that thebomb totally changed the course of their lives andwillingly share with others like me who were bornafter the war the stories of their lives. I take their
feelings into my heart.
Many of the Hibakusha looked forward andstarted to rebuild their lives. However, about 5
years after the atomic bombing, their relatives andfriends one after another developed leukemia andpassed away. The fourth feature of the inhumanenature of nuclear weapons is the “lifetime
perpetuation” of the effects of radiation exposureon the human body. The Hibakusha live with fear
and anxiety about potential health problems linked
to exposure to atomic bomb radiation, aware thatthey could suffer from such diseases as leukemia
and cancer.
Many Hibakusha died in the “acute stages”,
within about 2 months of being exposed toradiation from the atomic bomb. Those who
survived that crucial period must have felt relieved,
thinking that they were free of fears of A-bombdiseases. Despite the hardships facing them, theHibakusha managed to find ways to make a living.
Although they had managed to survive, they began
to be affected by radiation. In the early stages, they
could hardly believe that their deteriorating healthwas linked to the nuclear bomb, because radiation
effects were not widely recognized. Medicine andepidemiology in those days could not elucidate thecause of the health problems afflicting the
Hibakusha. Meanwhile, it came to be known that
Hibakusha often developed thyroid cancer or breast
cancer. It also came to be known that those diseases
are linked to exposure to radiation from the atomic
bomb. This began to be understood by Hibakusha
little by little. At the same time, they were caught
by the fear that they might develop cancer. Whenthey were diagnosed as having cancer, they knewthat it was because they had been exposed toradiation from the atomic bomb.
Today, it is widely known that the death rate of
Hibakusha from cancer is 1.42 times higher thannon-Hibakusha. To be precise, for a person who
was exposed to 1Sv of radiation at age 30, therelative risk of dying of any solid cancer except forleukemia at age 70 is 1.42 times higher. If the
exposure to radiation occurred 10 years younger,
the relative risk of death would increase by afurther 29% (Life Span Study, RERF, 2012).
In addition, it has become known recently that,compared with non-Hibakusha, all Hibakusha havesignificantly higher risks of suffering from chronic
hepatitis (Wong FL et al. Radiat Res 1993), heart
infarction (Shimizu Y et al. BMJ 2010), as well as
non-cancer diseases such as hypertension (Yamada
M et al. Radiat Res 2004) and chronic kidneydiseases (Adams et al. Radiat Res 2012p). Thismeans that A-bomb radiation makes survivors
suffer throughout life.
However, health damage from radiation
exposure is not the only thing that Hibakusha suffer
from. They may still be tormented by thereminiscence of the hell on earth they once went
through. This can be described as another aspect of
the “continuity” of damage from the atomic
bombing. Many Hibakusha live with the burden of
guilt, for they escaped from fire leaving theirparents or brothers and sisters trapped undercollapsed houses, or they did nothing for woundedpeople calling for help at their feet. Their friends
died but they survived. They feel that they owe

17their lives to their friends who died pitiful deaths.
Today, more than 70 years later, those difficult
moments they experienced are brought back to life.
Such memories are a source of torment for
Hibakusha.
I have talked about the inhumane nature of theatomic bomb by citing concrete examples.
“Biological weapons” and “chemical weapons” arealready banned as weapons against humanity.
Nuclear weapons have gigantic destructive powerfrom the nuclear energy and release huge amountsof radiation. They are qualitatively completely
different from other weapons. They are against
humanity because the extent of the consequencesof their use may threaten the survival of all humans.
It is not just a matter of Hiroshima and Nagasaki orJapan. We must prevent at any cost the recurrenceat any time of such a humanitarian catastrophe
before it becomes inevitable. We are called upon
to increase international opinion against nuclear
weapons to ensure that no nuclear weapons areused on earth. It is my earnest hope that the Treaty
for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will besupported by many countries and regions. Let us
eliminate all nuclear weapons from the world forthe sake of human survival. No more Hibakusha.

second year of middle school. From the second half,
we were ordered to follow a government “guidance
for implementation of student mobilization as partof emergency measures to prepare for decisive
battle”. I was mobilized to work at a munitions
factory instead of attending classes.
I was then in the second year of middle school
and was forced to work every day at the munitions
factory. The military ordered us students to help inthe demolition of houses to make fire lanes toprevent the spread of the fires caused by US air
raids. My class was asked to choose August 5 or 6
for demolition work. As I was the class leader, I
performed rock-paper-scissors with my deputy to
decide who got to choose the day. I won and mygroup chose August 5.
On August 6, the other group went to theHiroshima Prefecture office about 800 meters fromthe hypocenter of the atomic bombing. All 23
members of that group died within the following
three weeks.
August 6 was a day off for us. I went out withmy father to collect a bath boiler and bricks from ahouse located 1.7 kilometers from the hypocenter
that had been demolished to create a fire lane.
The moment the atomic bomb fell, I received ablinding flash on my face and lost consciousness.
When my father rescued me and called me back to
consciousness, I realized that I was about to be
engulfed in a sea of flames. I heard women andelderly people screaming. The scene I saw was likea picture of the inferno. Once back home, I fell ill
and was delirious with fever as high as 40 degrees
Celsius for about 10 days. Fortunately, I survived
thanks to my mother and other family members
taking good care of me. I would not have survived
without my father.
Later, my father and I began losing our hair andhaving repeated diarrhea because we both had been
exposed to a massive dose of radiation. We had
blood congestion and purple spots appeared on ourskin. My father died 3 months later. He was 54
years old.
At the time, the burns on my back, right leg, andboth elbows were infested with maggots. The scars
became keloids and covered all sweat pores which
made it difficult for me to regulate my bodytemperature.
A rock-paper-scissors game determined life ordeath for me and my classmates. This left me witha burden throughout my life.
Thirty-one years after graduating from middle
school, I attended a middle school class reunion for
the first time. I was asked why I had not taken partin the previous reunions. For the first time in mylife I opened my heart to my classmates.
I sometimes felt angry that my father had madeYoshioka Yukio
Hibakusha of Hiroshima/
Vice-President, Hiroshima Federation of
A-Bomb Survivors
I am Yoshioka Yukio, a survivor of the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima. I was exposed to A-bombradiation when I was 16 years old in the second
year of middle school.
For half a century until the end of the war inAugust 1945, Japan continuously waged war andcaused destruction and killing. The era of war
started with the Japanese-Sino War in 1894,
followed by the Japanese-Russo War, the FirstWorld War, and the Japan-China war, whichescalated into the Asia-Pacific War.
When I was in a higher-grade at elementary
school, the school ground was plowed andvegetables were grown there because people lacked
everything from food to daily necessities.
Boys aged 15 or older were ordered to join the“national service volunteer brigade” to help thecountry prosecute the war. Equally, girls aged 17 orolder were organized into the girls’ volunteer corps.
Even middle school students like myself wereforced to cooperate with the war for the Emperor or
for Japan’s world domination.
We had some classes until the first half of18

such a desperate effort to save my life. For many
years I thought I would not have had to undergosuch difficult times or experience this sense of guilt
if I had been left to die.
About six months after the atomic bombing,classes resumed at my middle school. Many of myclassmates had been killed in the atomic bombing.
Those who survived the atomic bombing had
difficulty finding jobs or getting married.
After graduating from school, I become agovernment employee thanks to the good offices ofsome relatives. However, I felt languid all the timeand felt no motivation for anything. Newspapers at
the time called this type of condition the “A-bomb
Bura-Bura Disease.”
I tended to retreat into my shell. Losing hope in
my future life, I tried to kill myself several times. I
heard that many Hibakusha committed suicide outof despair for their future.
I joined the union and worked to help its
activities. I was solicitated to talk about myexperience of the atomic bombing and began
telling my story as a Hibakusha. At first I did it
reluctantly, but as I came to realize that my appeal
was being heard I found hope to live.
Out of a growing signature collection campaign
calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons, theJapan Council against A & H Bombs (Gensuikyo)
was formed. Hibakusha created their organization,
the Japan Confederation of Atomic- and HydrogenBombs Sufferers’ Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo).
I participated in the peace movement for theabolition of nuclear weapons.
I have had increasing opportunities to tell myexperience. I have shared my story about theatomic bomb at peace study sessions with pupils
and students who came visiting Hiroshima. I havealso traveled on Hibakusha speaking tours to
Colorado in the US, Vancouver in Canada, andVienna in Austria.
I have lived out my life to make every effort sothat the cruel deaths of my 23 middle schoolclassmates and all those killed as a result of thecruel events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki do not
remain unrewarded.
We must never allow the tragedy of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki to be repeated. We must be set freeof fears or horrors by also doing away with nuclear
power plants, which humans cannot control.
The United Nations adopted the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons last year with 122
countries in favor. It has been signed by 59
countries and ratified by 12 countries.
Since immediately after the atomic bombingsof Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Hibakusha havebeen calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
We are very happy to see our appeal bear fruit

thanks to the efforts of many people.
But there are nearly 15,000 nuclear warheads inthe world. We must never allow their continued
existence.
Nuclear weapon countries, which cling to the
nuclear deterrence doctrine, and their supporters,
including Japan, are desperate to stop the nuclear
weapons ban treaty from coming into force.
However, the call for nuclear weapons to beabolished represents the voice of an overwhelming
majority of the world’s people.
I conclude my speech by expressing my hopethat this International Meeting of the World
Conference against A and H Bombs and any otherinternational conferences will help strengthen theeffort to increase public opinion urging national
governments to ratify the treaty and clearly show
how the treaty will take effect and pave the way forthe elimination of nuclear weapons.

Kim Seong Un
Korean Atomic Bomb Casualty Association
Republic of Korea
Dear friends of the World Conference against
A and Bombs,
I thank the representatives of international
institutions and social movements for having comea long way to participate in this event.
I have from South Korea and am an A-bomb
survivor.
While I am honored to join you here, I feel
humbled to think of those who have lived in pain
and nightmare, unable to forget even now, 73 years
later, what they suffered or saw on that day. I also
express my deep sorrow to those who died in theatomic bombing 73 years ago.
On August 8, 1945, my three older sisters, ayounger sister, and I lived happily together with myfather and mother about 1 km from Funairi,
Hiroshima. When the atomic bomb fell, my father
had already gone to work and was absent. My threeelder sisters had gone to school. I heard later thatthey had followed the teachers’ instructions andevacuated from the school building. I was at homewith my few-months old little sister and my mother.
I was 4 years old then, but I still remember very
vividly the sudden explosion sound and the blast,
the sight of shelves and tableware all falling fromthe kitchen wall in a violent tremor, and futons
blown out of the house through the window.
Several hours after the bombing, my father
came home from work and took the family
somewhere to look for refuge. I was told later that
we had not stayed there long and finally went backto South Korea. We were able to return to South
19

Korea some months after the atomic bombing,leaving behind our sad memories. However, myfather developed various diseases due to the aftereffects of the atomic bombing. He was especiallysick in the throat, but he could not get any proper
treatment because of the lack of medical facilities
in South Korea. He eventually died of lung diseaseat the age of 64.
I think my father was not the only one to die
because of lack of heath care facilities. Many
Hibakusha repatriates who, with great difficulty,
went back home after the atomic bombing, did notreceive any care or support and died one after
another of different diseases and other hardships inlife. It breaks my heart to think that many Korean
Hibakusha have left this world, enduring pain andsuffering in silence.
Fortunately, they won a lawsuit for annulmentof the Japanese system that put an upper limit tosubsidized healthcare for the Hibakusha, and today
Hibakusha living abroad got able to receive thesimilar care as their Japanese counterparts. I regretthat it came too late, but it is a great help for the
Hibakusha who need medical treatment.
However, the current medical care system for
the Korean Hibakusha is still inadequate. I hopethat the Hibakusha living abroad will be able toreceive the equal treatment as the Japanese
Hibakusha. I want to stress that most of us will die
in a not distant future.
Today’s world has yet to break out of thenuclear spiral. The North Korean nuclear threat isstill there.
Nuclear destruction should never be repeatedanywhere in this world. Nuclear weapons should beneither produced nor used. Nuclear-armed
countries should eliminate all their nuclear arsenals
to prevent the same tragedy from happening again.
Dear participants, let us work together withpeace-loving people of the world to expand theglobal antinuclear and peace movement to achievea world of peace, without nuclear weapons.
In concluding, I pray for the rest of the souls of
those who died by the atomic bombing. And I wish
for the health and happiness of our fellow
Hibakusha.
I also extend our best wishes for the health andsuccess of you all representing social movements
here with us today.

Tokyo Electric Power Company or TEPCO.
Fukushima Prefecture announced on July 5 thatthe current number of evacuees is 44,865 and thetotal number of “disaster-related deaths”, including
those who died due to the hardships imposed byhaving to evacuate amounts to 2,238. Among these,
number of disaster-related suicides has reached 101
as of this moment, and this figure continues toincrease.
Even now, evacuation orders are in place for allof Futaba Town and Okuma Town as well as for“difficult-to-return to” zones besides these towns.
Although the government at the end of March 2017
lifted evacuation orders for Namie Town, Tomioka
Town, Iitate Village and the Yamakiya district of
Kawamata Town except for the “difficult-to-returnto” zones in these communities, only 18% of theprevious residents of those areas have returned asof May 2018 and they suffer many inconveniences
every day related to shopping, going to hospitals
and finding access to public transportation.
According to the “Second Survey of the Futaba
District Residents” made by the Fukushima Future
Center for Regional Revitalization attached to
Fukushima University, 74.3% of respondents
expressed anxiety about their economic situation,and more than 50% said they may be suffering fromdepression. The survey revealed the serious
situation of evacuees, showing that 31.9% of theworking-age population between 15 and 64 are still
jobless.
Many municipalities, when evacuation orders
are lifted, stop providing rent-free housing for theevacuees, but many evacuees are unable orunwilling to return home because they will have to
face the heavy burden of paying the rent. The
national and local governments should take thisfact seriously and continue providing such support
to them.
This year, a housing subsidy of 20,000 yen permonth is being paid to voluntary evacuees (those
who choose to stay away after an evacuation orderhas been rescinded) but it will end by the end of
March 2019. Physically and mentally exhausted
after being forced to leave their home and having
struggled hard to make a living in the last sevenyears, many evacuees have developed depression
and become unable to work. These problems would
not have happened if the nuclear power plant
accident had not occurred. In spite that people arestill suffering from them, the government has tried
to make us believe that they have already been
settled.
TEPCO has unilaterally stopped or cut down on
the amount it owes to farmers, merchants andmanufacturers as compensation. Among about
8,300 cases filed by business operators/farmers

Sasaki Yu
Fukushima City Assembly Member
I will report about the present situation, sevenyears and four months after the accident at the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of the20

outside evacuation zones demanding payment of
the two-year compensation, only 3,200 cases orless than 40 percent have obtained satisfactory
settlement. Among 600 cases filed by business
operators calling for additional compensation after
receiving the two-year’s payments, only one has
won a settlement. Despite the fact that agricultural
products in Fukushima have continued to be soldon markets at prices lower than before the nuclear
accident, compensation for many farmers has been
cut off.
However, the tenacious struggle by Fukushimaresidents and citizens throughout Japan has entereda new phase. On June 14 this year, TEPCO
President Kobayakawa Tomoaki announced thatthe company will consider decommissioning all
four reactors at the Fukushima Daini Nuclear
Power Plant. The decision was long overdue, and itcame as a result of the voices of outraged
Fukushima residents that drove TEPCO
management into a corner. The national
government in 2014 announced a plan to use
nuclear power again as a base-load energy source,
increasing its share of total electricity production to
20-22%. TEPCO had at that time even suggested
the possible use of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear
Power Plant. However, an opinion poll conductedin February this year showed that 75% of
Fukushima residents are in favor of complete
withdrawal from nuclear power generation. The
latest poll indicated that in Fukushima Prefecture,
support for the Abe Cabinet, which promotes
nuclear power generation, was only 27.7%, which
is much less than the national average.
With the aim of bringing down the curtain on
everything about the nuclear power plant accident
in Fukushima, the national government decided togradually remove 80% or about 2,400 of 3,000 realtime radiation dosimeters installed outside theevacuation zones by the end of March 2021.
However, it normally takes 30 to 40 years todecommission a nuclear power plant even without
considering the residual effects of the meltdown. In
addition, the transportation to interim storage
facilities of contaminated soil produced in theprocess of decontamination has just begun. In thiscontext, residents in many parts of the prefecture
are asking for continued monitoring as it is the onlymeans of visualizing invisible radiation. This has
led the government to reassure the population byannouncing that it “will not unilaterally remove thedosimeters”.
The Environment Ministry plans to reuse theradiation-contaminated soil for public works
projects. In particular, it wanted to use it assubgrade for public roads, that is the natural
material underneath the paved portion, on an

experimental basis. However, in Nihonmatsu City,
residents’ voices demanding the cancellation of the
project were so strong that the Ministry had to giveup the experiment.
Furthermore, in a lawsuit filed by victims of thenuclear accident, to “recover their livelihood andcommunity life”, the Fukushima District Court on
October 10 of 2017 acknowledged the legal
responsibilities of the government and TEPCO,
ordering them to pay the plaintiffs compensation
above the level set by official interim guidelines of2011. It is especially significant that the court
recognized the state’s legal responsibilities.
The struggle of Fukushima residents has been
waged in concert with committed people
throughout Japan. Not only Fukushima citizens but
also many other Japanese people believe that
another nuclear accident should never be allowed
to happen again. That is why heads of local
governments should call for closure of nuclear
power plants throughout Japan, like the mayors ofHiroshima and Nagasaki, who have taken a firm
stance against nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, theFukushima governor in his statement, does notrefer to nuclear power plants located outside his
prefecture. He has failed to say what he should say
to the government and TEPCO.
In fact, the Liberal Democratic Party in its
proposal has suggested the discharge of tritiumtainted water into the Pacific Ocean. It is true that
there are a number of problems related to the
nuclear power plant accident, but trying to solve
them by resorting to unilateral and hasty measures
could undermine the confidence of people insideand outside Japan. We must use our collective
wisdom to come up with a solid and safe plan for
towards decommissioning. This autumn, we willfight to get a governor elected who will be able touphold demands for the closure of all nuclear
power plants in Japan. Thank you.

21

I’m not interested that I’ve got the second, third
position in the world because we are the same. We
are equal. And we are working for each other.
So I just want to say two sentences. Start taking
the world as a global village, and keep all thepeople surrounding you and participating in peaceand happiness. You know, we need two things tolive only. The peace, and the health. The smile on
your face and the good healthy mind and body thatdo things. And if we’re able to understand, to makeunderstand the people surrounding us, that this is
the only two things we’re working for, our mission
is over and we’ll get a lot of other people into it.
And the day we are able to involve each andevery person in our family and our relatives and our
supporters and our groups, into this peace
movement, then only we’ll be able to say NO to this.

Statements:
Manisha Gaur
Roopantaran Training and Development
Pvt Ltd.
India(Transcribed from oral presentation)
Thank you for giving me the chance. There is asaying; “Being a brother is biological, but staying abrother is a challenge.” So with the grace of thecosmos we are all human. So being human is what
we are, but staying human is a challenge. What weare facing is, we’re not animals, we’re notmammals. We’re really different from all others
living in the cosmos because we have a brain, andwe have a power to create the world. And there aresome of us who are misusing the power. Rather
than creating, using destructions.
For the speaker before me, I am really worried
about tears because we are here together and even
if some of our friends are having tears in their eyes,
it’s really bad and it hurts. One of the speakers
before my speech said that she is working forhaving some literature in all the schools andcolleges. I think there we are lacking. Peace shouldbe important and a compulsory subject for the
primary education and middle education. We’regiving our children everything and there is a big
number of people who are just earning and creating
luxury. They need to understand that if the world
remains, the luxury remains. They need toparticipate compulsorily in the peace movement. I
want this photo with this banner to publish in a lotof places, not only because I want to publish myphoto. I want to publish that there are a lot of peace
movements. If anyone outside who is human, whocares for people should participate in human andpeace movements.
When we got some information from othercountries that they are having some power centers,some are small countries, some are bigger countries,
and the bigger countries are busy in big
destructions, because they have big power. So I’ve
got some numbers that there are certain countries
who said that we are really no-nuclear nations.
Salute to them. And our responsibility to take thepeace movement in our country because we getabout as human and then we distract and then we
separate in cast and religions and countries.
We need to think of the world as a global
village. Then I am not afraid of you, and you’re notafraid of me. And you belong to me and I belong toyou. If you’ve got this feeling, that this world is a
global village, and we belong to each other, no one
needs to be afraid of anyone. And I am notinterested that I got the number one from you, andPotturi Narayana Rao
LEAD Foundation
India
Solidarity & co-operation between movements
against nuclear power plants and forenvironmental justice
At the outset let me thank the organizers of thisworld conference for giving me the opportunity to
speak before you. It gives me immense pleasure in
addressing the august gathering on the theme
related to the solidarity and co-operation between
the movements against nuclear power plants andfor the environmental justice throughout the world.
To begin with, let me trace the chronology of theanti-nuclear movements till recent past. The
opposition to nuclear power started in the earlysixties. By late sixties, the scientific community
began to express their concerns on the use of
nuclear power. Many anti-nuclear groups areagainst both nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
In the early seventies, there were large scaleprotests against the construction of nuclear power
plant in Whyl, West Germany. In 1975, the court
withdrew the construction license for the plant.
This success has inspired other citizen groups inEurope and America. A large demonstration
against nuclear power was held in Bibao in Spain.
Following the Three Mile Island accident in 1979,
an anti-nuclear protest was held in New York city.
In 1981, Germany’s largest anti-nuclear power
demonstration took place against Brokdarf nuclear
power plant. In 1986, following the Chernobyl
disaster in former Soviet Union, about two hundred
thousand people marched in Rome to protest
against the Italian nuclear programme. Hundreds ofpeople walked from Los Angeles to Washington
22

D.C. As a result, many nuclear power plants wereclosed in United States and nuclear power was
taken off the policy agenda in many countries. The
World Uranium Hearing was held in Salzburg,
Austria in September 1992. Anti-nuclear speakers
from all continents disclosed the health andenvironmental problems of uranium mining andprocessing, nuclear power, radioactive waste
disposal.
In recent times, in January 2004, anti-nuclear
protests marched in Paris against new generation of
nuclear reactors, in June 2007, in the city of Kudzus
in Indonesia against building a nuclear power plant,
in February 2008, in Japan for the closure of
Kazantzakis-Kariwa Nuclear power plant. In 2008
and 2009, there have been protests against new
nuclear reactor proposals in the United States. In
2010, about one twenty thousand people built ahuman chain between nuclear power plants at
Kummel and Broncobuster against the plans of theGerman government to extend the life of nuclear
reactors. In April 2011, environmental activists
gave a statement at U.N. meeting urging bolder
steps to tap renewable energy so that the world does
not have to choose between the dangers of nuclear
power and the ravages of climate change.
Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster,
environmentalists throughout the world held
demonstrations for the closure and against the
expansion of nuclear power plants. Anti-nuclear
activists highlighted their concerns related to highcosts, accidents, weaponization and targeted
attacks by terrorists.
Since 2000, the nuclear industry has taken up
an international media and lobbying campaign topromote nuclear power as a solution to the climatechange crisis. The Nuclear Energy Institute is themain lobbying group for companies in USA.
Unfortunately, some famous environmentalists
also fell prey to this propaganda. Among them are
George Monbiot, former director of Green Peace
international and James Lovelock, originator of theGaia hypothesis.
Now let us examine some of the environmental
justice issues in nuclear power and radioactive
contamination. The siting and operation of nuclear
power plants in the areas where the indigenous
people and racialized minorities live, is an injusticedone to them. They are exposed to environmental
health risks relating to radiation and chemical
contaminants. Several studies examined how theproximity to nuclear reactors would translate into
actual experience in the case of an accident with afocus on social dimensions of the risk such as
uncertainty, displacement, cultural pressures andsocial rejection. There is a growing concern about
the aging and deteriorating fleet of reactors that are
already operating beyond 40-year operational life.
Whenconsidering
environmental
justice
implications of nuclear technologies, it is critical tofocus on the complex nuclear fuel cycle frommining and milling of the ore to enrichment andnuclear fuel rod fabrication and extremely highlevel nuclear waste that must be isolated fromhumans. Uranium mining has environmental
justice issues since it is not only workers who areexposed but also their homes and communities
become contaminated.
Environmental Justice movements are atpresent one of the most influential social
movements in the world today. According to theEnvironmental Justice Atlas which prepares aninventory of social conflicts around environmental
issues around the world, 57 conflicts are related tonuclear nightmares. Grassroot movements havesucceeded in slowing down the nuclear industry
and in phasing out in some countries.
As far as India is concerned, there are about dozen
conflicts related to uranium mining and nuclear
power plants. The most affected people areindigenous tribes and low-income groups
belonging to rural area. Those movements have got
much publicity in the media though they havesucceeded partially.
The most significant
development due to these anti-nuclear movements
is withdrawal of support by left parties on IndiaUSA nuclear deal on the question of” India
Safeguard Agreement” to the Central Government
and it lost its majority.
Now the question arises what the alternatives tothe nuclear energy are. There are many known
alternative energy sources such as hydroelectric,
solar, wind and biomass energy. There aredevelopments that are being carried out to find newalternative energy sources such as geothermalenergy and tidal power. These alternative energy
sources are available in nature and do not tax theenvironment for their use. With their usage, thecarbon dioxide emissions from conventionalenergy sources can be greatly reduced and the
problem of global warming can be solved to a large
extent. Air, soil and water pollution can also becontrolled reasonably. The damage that we havecaused to the earth after industrial revolution istremendous and we have to keep the planet
sustainable for our future generations.

23Plenary Session II:
Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; Role of Peace
Movements and Civil Society; Promotion of the Treaty on
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; Overcoming Nuclear
Deterrence Doctrine㸦August 2㸧
the annihilation of the people of Hiroshima andNagasaki, but as General Groves, who led the
Manhattan Project remarked in 1943, the A-bombproject was no longer about Germany or Japan. It
was about Russia. Hiroshima and Nagasaki werevaporized, incinerated, poisoned and traumatized toensure that the U.S. would not have to shareinfluence with the Soviet Union in Northern China,
Manchuria, and Korea. And, Truman thought that
the A-bomb gave him a “hammer” with which hecould dominate the Kremlin with the threat ofnuclear annihilation.ii
Despite the Hibakusha’s fundamental truth thathuman beings and nuclear weapons cannot coexist,
the illusion that nuclear weapons have worked andcan serve as the ultimate enforcer of empire,compounded by lies and mistaken beliefs about
nuclear deterrence, have repeatedly brought us tothe brink of nuclear omnicide and driven nuclear
weapons proliferation. In Helsinki, Vladimir Putin
again illuminated the madness and injustice of
nuclear apartheid. “As major nuclear powers,” hesaid, “we bear special responsibility for maintaining
international security.”iii He and Trump believe that
their nuclear arsenals give them the right tointimidate and dictate how the world’s nations andpeoples live and possibly die.

Introductory Reports:
Joseph Gerson
Chair, Campaign for Peace, Disarmamentand Common Security, U.S.A./ Vice
President, International Peace Bureau
In a Perilous Time“Freedom of thought is the only guarantee
against an infection of mankind by mass myths,
which, in the hands of treacherous hypocrites
and demagogues, can be transformed intobloody dictatorships.”
-- Andrei Sakharov
I want to thank Gensuikyo for the opportunity
to return to the World Conference. It is a pleasure
to be joined by my experienced and dedicated U.S.
friends and colleagues. I also want to take thisopportunity to thank Taka-san for his important
contributions to our Two Minutes to Midnightconference in New York in May.
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-Bombings
As a U.S. American, I want to acknowledge that,on its own terms and by the standards of World
Court’s advisory opinion on the use and threatened
use of nuclear weapons, the indiscriminate Abombings here and in Nagasaki were nothing lessthan unconscionable crimes against humanity.
While making no excuses for Japanese militarism
and imperial aggressions, we should remember thatin the months prior to the A-bombings the Japanese
government attempted to surrender on terms the
U.S. ultimately accepted AFTER the atomic
bombings:
unconditional surrender with the
exception of the Emperor remaining on his throne.
Most senior U.S. military leaders thought that the
A-bombings were unnecessary and wrong.i
Craven domestic political calculations, racism,and bureaucratic momentum contributed toTruman’s decision to usher in the nuclear age with

A Perilous Time
Friends, we meet in a perilous time of rising
great power tensions, the ascendency of right-wing
autocracies, uncertainties, and renewed nuclear andhigh-tech arms races. This is compounded by thereality that there are no longer any givens in U.S.
foreign and military policiesiv or to the future ofliberal democracy in the U.S.
The Trump administration is marked by chaos.
Following Trump’s secretive summit with Putin
and the political and media circus that followed,
Trump was confronted by his most senior staff who
insisted that he deny or reverse a number ofstatements and commitments he had made inHelsinki, from possible Russian interrogation of theformer U.S. Ambassador to Moscow to his support
24

for a referendum in Eastern Ukraine. Pompeo and
Bolton are at odds on the Korea negotiations. And,
the Pentagon is reeling from Trump’s unexpected
and whimsical orders, musings about reductions oftroops in Germany, his order to organize a costly
Kremlin-like military parade on Armistice Day, andhis announcement of the creation of a new spacecommand.
Independent of Trump, the gears of empire
grind on. The Pentagon budget has been increasedby an amount equal Russia’s total military budget.
Despite Trump’s embrace of Putin, the Pentagon’s
new National Strategy prioritizes preparations for
great power war against China or Russia which“challenge American power, influence andinterests.”v This explains the $1.2 trillion spending
plan for the new generation of U.S. offensive
nuclear weapons and their delivery systems andTrump’s new “Space Command” to dominate Earthfrom space. As we saw in Trump’s theatricalsummitry with Kim Jung-un, his trade war tariffs
and denunciation of the European Union as a foe, in
Trump’s American First Empire, the only goodallies are those who know their proper place asvassals. More than his predecessors, Trumpembraces dictators and authoritarian rulers from
Putin and the Saudis, to Orban in Hungary andDuterte in the Philippines. And while he describes
his 391-word vague agreement with Kim Jung-un
as a “good deal”, he calls the fully implemented
P5+1 deal with Iran a “bad deal” and has violated it.
We’re now told that there is no reason to rushcomplete North Korean denuclearization, while theunspoken commitment to regime change in Iran torestore U.S. regional and global U.S. hegemony isan urgent priority.
Meanwhile, in the tradition of dictators, truth,
the rule of law, organized labor, citizenship, andeven the right to vote are being attacked by Trump
and his minions. He blatantly contradicts himself inthe same sentence and averages 6.5 recorded lies
per day.vi From Charlottesville to Budapest and the
Kremlin, Trump embraces and encourages whiteand ostensibly Christian supremacists. His assaults
on the press, science and his separation of families,
his imprisonment of children in cages and thepacking of courts with right-wing ideologues havebrought us to a proto-fascist moment reminiscent of
the rise of European fascism in the 1920s and 30s.
During the 2016 election campaign, Trump said
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue andshoot somebody…and I wouldn't lose any
voters…"vii Now, with his one-on-one meetingwith Putin – the details of which have been kept
secret from his most senior advisors and the U.S.
people, combined with his Helsinki statement thathe trusts Putin more than U.S. intelligence services,

his description of the press as an enemy of thepeople, and the failure of Republicans to call him toaccount, Trump may be doing the politicalequivalent of pulling that trigger on Fifth Avenue.
Some liberals and conservatives are warning thatthe lesson Trump may take from Helsinki and from
Republican silence is that he can shut down thespecial counsel’s inquiry into possible election
collusion with Russia and related corruptions. This
would ignite massive demonstrations that could
result in the declaration of martial law, and theemergence of an Erdogan type dictatorship acountry that was once the model and inspiration forliberal democracy.viii Remember, Trump is the
President who failed to fully condemn Nazi
violence – including a murder – in Charlottesville ayear ago and recently pardoned armed rightwingers who had been convicted of arson.
In this climate, it should be no surprise that weare talking about the lessons from the collapse of the
Weimar Republic in 1933. We have organizedmany massive protests across the country –especially in the wake of the imprisonment ofchildren and babies. The civilized world is rightly
alienated by, and increasingly isolating, the UnitedStates.
I should note that in many ways, Trump is a
symptom, not the sole cause, of the American crisis.
With the United States’ Pax America identity
increasingly besieged by the country’s relative
decline in economic, military and cultural power
and influence the cognitive dissonance of no longer
being #1 has reinforced ancient currents of racismand national chauvinism.
This has been
compounded by the Supreme Court’s removal of
limits on what the superrich can spend in elections,by the post 9-11 militarist culture which permeatesnearly all sectors of American life and resulted in
the military becoming the country’s most widely
respected institution. And, of course, there are the“subversive tentacles” of the military-industrial
complex. Our political crisis is thus systemic.
Impeachment of Trump would leave us with allthese forces still in place, with Pence in power, andthe increasingly militarized mainstream of the
Democratic Party pursuing confrontations with both
Russia and China.
Two Minutes to Midnight
All of this is deeply related to continuing U.S.
preparations for omnicidal nuclear war. This past
winter, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists sent theworld a warning by moving the hands of theirDoomsday Clock to two minutes to midnight. Thisis the closest to apocalyptic nuclear war since 1953
and worse than during the 1962 Cuban Missile
Crisis.

25

Why the warning? They cited the Trumpadministration's Nuclear Posture Review, decrying
increased US reliance on nuclear weapons; its
staggering investments in new nuclear weapons thatare driving "modernization" of the world's othernuclear arsenals; the return to Cold War rhetoric andthe total absence of US-Russian arms control
negotiations. They warned about the dangerous lackof coherent US foreign and military policies that
undermine global security, North Korea's nuclear
weapons program; South Asian rivalries; Trump's
threat to the nuclear deal with Iran; and climatechange.ix
The NPR follows on the Pentagon’s new
National Strategy that prioritizes preparations for
great power war and includes a more aggressive U.S.
first-strike nuclear war-fighting doctrine. It builds
on Obama’s commitments to deploy new and more
usable B-61 nuclear weapons to Europe. The
Navy’s sea-launched ballistic missiles will be
armed with still more devastating first-strike W-761 warheads. And the mandate to replace the entire
nuclear triad remains in place. New is a sealaunched cruise missile and Trident submarines
ballistic missiles armed with Hiroshima-like Abombs. And, to compensate for China’s increasingarea denial capabilities in the western Pacific, there
is to be a standoff, air-launched, nuclear armed
cruise missiles that can be fired against the Chinese
military and civilians from thousands of miles
away.xPerhaps the most dangerous element of Trump’s$1.2 trillion NPR is the blurring the distinction
between conventional and nuclear war and theincreased role for nuclear weapons in U.S. war
fighting strategies. The initial leaked version of the
NPR mandated first-strike attacks in response todevastating cyber-attacks as well as to chemical or
biological weapons attacks.
Even before Trump’s NPR, Daniel Ellsberg
pointed to continuities in U.S. nuclear doctrine:
Thousands of nuclear weapons on hair trigger alert.
The U.S. retains its first strike policy. So-called“extended deterrence” Europe and East Asia relies
on first use. U.S. doctrine calls for launch on
warning. U.S. policies have “always precluded aneffective nonproliferation campaign.” And, thepresident is not the only person who can launch thecountry’s nuclear weapons.xi
The U.S. is not the only culprit. All of the othernuclear weapons states are upgrading their nuclear
arsenals. There is increasing debate in right-wingGerman circles about the creation of a German orEuropean bomb. Iran will unleash its cyclotrons if
the P5+1 deal collapses. Saudi Arabia is putting its
nuclear infrastructure in place. And, the Turkish
Labor Party reports that Erdogan wants a nuclear

weapon.
Singapore – After Fire and Fury
We’ll be discussing the fraught US-Korean
diplomacy on Sunday, but we should appreciate thatPresident Moon’s inspired Olympic diplomacy andthat the Singapore summit prevented – at least for
the time being – a catastrophic war, walking Trumpback from his incendiary fire and fury nuclear
threats. The summit also made it possible for Seoul
and Pyongyang to proceed in “determining thedestiny of the Korean nation on their own accord.”
As we think about North Korea’s nuclear
arsenal, and the threat it poses to Japan, South
Korea and other countries, we need to recognizethat it reflects fear. Even as we criticize
Pyongyang’s hideous human rights record, we needto acknowledge that Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons
grew from the trauma of Japanese conquest andcolonialism, the devastating Korean War, U.S. andSouth Korean regimechange commitments,
repeated U.S. preparations and threats of first strike
nuclear attacks, and the failures of U.S. diplomacy,
beginning with the Clinton and Bush I failures toimplement the 1994 Agreed Framework, Bush II’s
vetoing Kim Dae Jung’s Sunshine policy andrejection of the comprehensive agreement
negotiated by former U.S. Secretary of Defense
Perry, and the Obama administration’s “benign
neglect.” As Perry and the renowned historian
Bruce Cumings explain, the purposes of North
Korea’s nuclear program are to preserve Kim
dynasty and the country’s independence.xii
But the diplomacy is fraught. Bolton insists
complete North Korean nuclear denuclearizationneeds to take place within a year, while Pompeo
says meaningful progress must be made within two
years, and Trump says he is in no hurry. Kim Jungun has denounced Pompeo’s “gangster” demands –apparently a rejection of U.S. demands for serious
denuclearization steps before the U.S. relaxes
sanctions – is now demanding a U.S. commitment
to replacing the Armistice with a peace treaty before
he makes serious concessions. And, contrary to U.S.
expectations of immediate gratification, Dr.
Siegfried S. Hecker – former head of Los Alamos
and the US physicist with greatest exposure to
DPRK nuclear infrastructure has argued that given
the size of the North Korea’s infrastructure, its
complete destruction could take fifteen years.xiii
While some doubt the seriousness of Kim JungUn’s denuclearization commitments, Joel Wit, who
has played a leading role in US negotiations with
the DPRK since 1993, reports that “Everyone
underestimates the momentum behind what North
Korea is doing. It’s not a charm offensive or atactical trick.” In 2013, when Obama didn’t have a26

potential negotiating partner in South Korea, DPRK
diplomats informed the US that they would give up
nuclear weapons in exchange for end to U.S. hostile
approach. They said their build up would be of“limited duration” until better relations with U.S.
were possible. And they envisioned three stages in
response to the U.S. removing nuclear threat andending sanctions: a freeze on nuclear weapons
development; disabling key facilities & nuclear
weapons; and mutual diplomatic recognition.xiv
The day following the Singapore summit, I was
in Washington with Michelle Cunha and sixty
members of the Korea Peace Network from twenty
states to meet with Congressional staffers. We weredismayed by the Democrats who, fearful that thesummit would boost Republicans’ chances in theNovember election arrogantly claimed that Trump
had made all of the compromises, gotten nothing in
response, and shouldn’t have suspended the joint
military exercises.
We urged them to challenge Trump from the left
by pressing for more substantive negotiations:putting together the necessary team of experts to
conduct serious negotiations, proposing a road map
and schedule for successful negotiations,
supporting the suspension of the provocative
military exercises which should be made permanent,
and pressing for an end to Trump’s travel ban andtaking other steps to provide humanitarian
foundations for peacemaking.

the former high priest of U.S. nuclearism William
Perry, the former missileer Bruce Blair, and Zia
Mian of Princeton University.
In Massachusetts, we have been briefing
Congressional primary candidates, a state legislator
running for Congress introduced a no first use bill.
And, as Michelle will report, we have a campaignof legal and civil disobedience actions challenging
the nuclear weapons upgrade at a base near Boston.
In the coming months we will be working toensure that the nuclear agreement with Iran survives
Trump and Bolton as well as doing our best to
prevent a regime change war. In the tradition ofwalking and chewing gum at the same time, whileworking to oust Trump and his corrupt coterie, wewill support diplomacy to extend the New START
Treaty, the survival of the INF Treaty, work fordeeper cuts in the great powers’ arsenals, and findways to encourage our partners in the nuclear
umbrella states to break ranks with their masters bysigning and ratifying the Ban Treaty.
Finally, with democratic culture and institutions inperil, with people of color and immigrants mostvulnerable, and with Trump’s economic assaults on
the 99%, we know that we must shatter our selfisolating movement silos. In unity there is strength.
More, the reality is that root causes of preparations
for nuclear annihilation; racist cultures those of
domination and injustice; and of the assaults on theenvironment are deeply and inter-related.
Intersectional movement building is thus a priority
for us, including opposing funding for new nuclear
weapons as well as opposing Trump’s racist antiimmigrant ethnic cleansing. It means insisting that
our elected leaders oppose Trumpian austerity anddemand that the money be redirected to pay for foodstamps, for education and for infrastructure
investments and not for empire and its ultimate
enforcers – nuclear weapons. Finally, it means
listening to others that we can act in solidarity withthose who are most immediately in danger.
-----------------------------------------The U.S. Movement
I wish that I could report that we have a massive
US movement committed to our government
fulfilling its Article VI NPT commitment and to
signing and ratifying the Ban Treaty. But, as you
see from the size of the U.S. delegation here, in
response to Trump’s fire and fury threats, his
nuclear weapons upgrade, and the growing dangers
of great power and other wars, there is in fact
greater attention to and more actions devoted toreversing the nuclear dangers.
For example, 80 members of Congress have cosponsored legislation to remove the president’s
ability to launch first-strike nuclear war on his own
authority and Congressman Kohana has introduced
No Preemptive War Against Iran legislation. Oneof the country’s most popular television programs
ran a chilling episode about the danger of nuclear
war resulting from miscalculation. And Daniel
Ellsberg has returned to national prominence withhis new book The Doomsday Machine: Confessionsof a Nuclear War Planner.
Fears about Trump and the bomb are such that
we held a no first strike conference at Harvard
University with the surreal spectacle of me, aVietnam era draft resister, chairing a panel featuring

i Joseph Gerson. Empire and the Bomb: How the U.S. Uses Nuclear
Weapons to Dominate the World, London: Pluto Press, 2007, pp.
53-55; Joseph Gerson. With Hiroshima Eyes: Atomic War, Nuclear
Extortion and Moral Imagination, Philadelphia. New Society
Publishers, 1995, pp 33-36
ii Ibid. p. 41
iii
https://www.bing.com/news/search?q=Transcript+Putin+
Trump+Press+Conference+Helsinki&qpvt=transcript+putin+trump+press+conference+helsinki&FORM=EWRE
iv Richard Hass.
http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/07/16/trump-putin-helsinkiv
https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf
vi https://csnbbs.com/thread-850625.html
vii https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/24/donaldtrump-says-he-could-shoot-somebody-and-still-not-lose-votersviii Jack Beatty, “On Point” National Public Radio, July 20, 2018.
ix https://thebulletin.org/2018-doomsday-clock-statement/

27

continually: from the Cuban Missile Crisis to thewar on Vietnam, the height of the Cold War,through the aggressive wars of Bush and Blair to theworld of Trump and beyond. Whatever the context,
CND has worked with others, in Britain and abroad,to find the most appropriate campaigning forms tobring our own anti-nuclear issues to the fore, tomake them central in the current political agenda
and to exert mass pressure on government forchange. Without that pressure, nothing will change.
As a result of this approach, CND has been able toplay a leading role in virtually every peace
campaign since its birth.
The challenges facing us today are enormous.
On the global scale we face the rise of the far right,
given support by President Trump, who with his
trashing of the Iranian nuclear deal, his new nuclear
posture review and strategic defence review, and hiswild rhetoric about nuclear use, brings us as close
to nuclear use as at any time during the cold war.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has placed thehands of the Doomsday Clock at two minutes tomidnight and I don’t think any of us are surprised.
Over the past months, the British media has
frequently referred to the possibility of World War
Three. And the British government has done
nothing to help this: our Prime Minister Theresa
May has herself said that she would be willing press
the nuclear button, even knowing that millions ofpeople would be killed.
Britain itself contributes to the increase inglobal tension, by insisting that it must replace its
Trident nuclear weapons system, going against its
commitments under the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and rejecting out-of-hand any involvementin the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons. Our government has said that Britain will
never sign the Treaty, but we are determined toprove them wrong. Britain is also part of theincreasing global expenditure on nuclear weapons:
President Trump has pledged $1.2 trillion, but ourown government has committed £205 billion (over30 trillion Japanese yen) to replacing Trident,
Britain’s nuclear weapons system. Indeed, over the
past decade, our work has focused very strongly on
the cost of Trident replacement.
This is because CND has been most successful
and effective when it has related directly to people's
most pressing concerns - linking our issues to thereality of what is going on in the world.
Since the global financial crisis ten years ago,
the UK has suffered under the austerity policies ofsuccessive conservative governments. We haveexperienced devastating government spending cuts
to public services, including health care, benefits,
and education while spending continues andincreases on nuclear weapons. This has presented ax See, among others Joseph Gerson. “Doomsday and the
Apocalyptic Trump Nuclear War Fighting Doctrine,” Truthout,January 26, 2018
xi Daniel Ellsberg. The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a
Nuclear War Planner, New 11-17York, Bloomsbury, 2018, pp
xii https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HBaC-htfM4 7
xiii
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/us/politics/northkorea-nuclear-disarmament-could-take-15-years-expertwarns.html
xiv https://portside.org/node/17428/printable/print

Rachel Melly
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament(CND)/ Yorkshire CND
U.K.
Hello everybody. I am honoured to be with you
here in Hiroshima for such a fantastic and crucial
conference and I bring greetings from the Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament. CND values highly its
relationship with Gensuikyo and the movements
present at this conference. Together we represent
the overwhelming majority of humanity, struggling
for peace and nuclear disarmament. In this CND’s
sixtieth anniversary year, we have collectively
recommitted to our goal of a nuclear weapons-freeworld and we thank our international partners andfriends for the support and solidarity expressed overso many decades.
We stand at a turning point in world affairs: in
one direction lies an ever-increasing certainty of
nuclear annihilation – a route pursued by a tinyminority of states; in the other lies the possibility of
global nuclear abolition. In one direction is thenuclear modernisation and ‘usable nukes’ agenda of
the Trump administration and the nuclear weapons
states; in the other is the Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons, fought for and won by theendeavours of states and civil society across theglobe. The divergence has rarely been so stark or so
dangerous, and it is into this space that all ourenergies, our shared wisdom and experience, must
be poured: to achieve the outcome which will
ensure the survival of us all.
I would like to share some of the experience of
CND in this regard.
Firstly I should say that the history of CND is
the history of post second world war, told from theside of those fighting for humanity against thehorror of war. It is the story of ordinary people's
struggles to shape a world without nuclear weapons
and war, based on legality and morality; to make ourgovernments responsive and accountable over ourright to stay alive, our right to breathe air free ofradioactive pollution, our right to say no to theindiscriminate killing of people.
The context of CND's campaigns has changed

28

very clear campaigning opportunity for us: there isactually plenty of money – it’s a question of
government priorities. It could choose to spend on
health and jobs, but actually it prefers to spend on
weapons and war. Our most popular slogan in
decades has been NHS not Trident – the NHS is ournational health service. This has mobilised
significant support for CND and enabled us todevelop and reinvigorate grass roots links with anticuts organisations, trade unions and a wide range of
campaigning groups.
In this work we prioritise working together withother organisations, building alliances across civilsociety. We would always prefer to work withothers than on our own. We may lead an allianceagainst nuclear weapons but the measure of our
success is how many organisations that are notprimarily about nuclear weapons will come on
board to support us. We do not want to work onlywith those who are already on side, but to win others
to the cause.
An example of this in practice is the Stop
Trident Alliance that we built against the
replacement of Trident in 2015. Thirty nationalorganisations came together with CND to oppose
the government’s plan. We mobilised hundreds ofthousands across the country and on ourdemonstration in London, we were joined on theplatform by trade union leaders, faith leaders, theleader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, the First
Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of
the Green Party, the leader of the Party of Wales –the list is a long one and it shows the breadth ofsocial and political support for our movement andhow it is possible to mobilise them.
And this is the same approach we are taking
now, in the context of the current global situation.
Last month we were a central part of the Together
against Trump demonstration which mobilised aquarter of a million people in London to protest
against Trump’s visit to the UK. The feel of theprotest was reminiscent of the big anti-Iraq war
marches in 2003, embracing widespread social
forces and every type of human concern against
Trump’s monstrous policies. Our role of course wasto raise awareness and opposition to Trump’s
nuclear policy. By participating in the broad
alliance we were able to bring our message to verylarge numbers of people, and to put our ideas frontand centre for a whole new generation of young
people, radicalised by the horror at the turn to theright, which in Britain is compounded by the Brexit
decision. The rise of nationalism in England is adangerous development.
People often ask us why the government – andindeed both Britain’s major political parties –remain so wedded to the idea of nuclear weapons,

when they are a relic of the cold war, and newtechnological developments like cyber-attack andunderwater drone technology will soon render UK
systems obsolete. Of course our government always
claims that they are necessary for our security, thatthey will never be used, and that they are designed
to deter attack from hostile powers. But
increasingly our politicians are required to say thatthey would press the button, so there is calculated
uncertainty about whether it would be used or not.
As one military figure has said, this reduces
Britain’s security to a game of bluff. Quite so. But
what really renders the ‘deterrent’ notion ridiculous
is the talk of ‘usable nukes’ and indeed we knowthat scenarios in which they would be used toprotect national interests have been outlined for along time. If ever there was a deterrence theory
about nuclear weapons, it certainly no longer exists
and we would be wise to recognise that.
In the UK it is widely acknowledged that wehave nuclear weapons for status reasons, and thatpoliticians don’t want to let go of them, for fear oflooking weak. That really shows the poverty ofpolitical thinking that is inflicted upon us by our socalled leaders.
For historic reasons, a former imperial powerand so forth, many British politicians – and somecitizens – feel that Britain must be a global leader,
must ‘punch above its weight’, as Tony Blair used
to say. The tragedy is that they see this in militaryterms, rather than in terms of using Britain’s wealthand resources to advance the condition of humanity,
both at home and globally. This is where a politicalleadership with vision could throw off the shacklesof nuclear weapons and use its energies to help
reshape a world without nuclear weapons. In short,
be a government that would recognise that it is justtoo dangerous for nuclear weapons to continue toexist, and to support the Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons. That would truly be a global
leadership role.
Many of you will know that Jeremy Corbyn, theleader of the Labour Party, is a Vice-President of
CND and remains personally committed to nuclear
disarmament. But he has not yet been able to effecta transition in Labour Party policy. There are
hundreds of thousands of new party members who
support Jeremy’s views, but there are many in theleadership and in the parliamentary Labour party
who think that Labour has to look strong on defence
and keeping nuclear weapons is the way to do it. But
the opportunities for change are there, and if we win
a change in Labour policy, then the potential for a
future Labour government supporting the nuclear
ban treaty is a definite possibility.
So there are huge threats that confront us all, andthere are also huge opportunities. It is the nature of29

our movement that we wish to fight internationally,working together in solidarity. And that has neverbeen more important. None of the problems we facecan be solved on a national basis, they must be
solved internationally, and we must be united tomeet that challenge.
Today we recommit to that international
cooperation and solidarity, to ensure that no one
will ever again experience the catastrophe andtragedy which faced the peoples of Hiroshima andNagasaki.
No More Hiroshimas – No More Nagasakis!
For a world free from nuclear weapons!

the conditions so that every human being can live inpeace and security.
The logic of power, domination and hoarding
typical to present globalized economies is a major
obstacle to building a peaceful world free of nuclear
weapons. It also comes with a questioning of theUnited Nations Charter and multilateralism for the
benefit of NATO or supranational organizations
such as the G8 or G20.
Thus this logic has favored the development of
the military-political-industrial complex which is
the main adversary in this phase of the struggle
towards the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The military-industrial complex, which ismainly responsible for increasing military
expenditure, also dominates and controls the media
power. In France, for example, the adoption of theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was
totally ignored by the media or was fought by socalled experts.

Christine Rosenberg
French Peace Movement
For a Peaceful and Fair World, Without
Nuclear Weapons

Balance of power
The success of the treaty on the prohibition of
nuclear weapons should not be underestimated, noroverestimated, and we should neither underestimate
the determination of our opponents to delay theelimination of nuclear weapons. What is really
positive is that the balance of power has evolved infavor of the elimination of nuclear weapons. In
France, for example, in a recent poll, 76% of Frenchpeople are in favor of France taking part in aninternational process of total and controlled
elimination of atomic weapons, as planned by the
UN. This will is very strong across the political
spectrum.
And 67% of French people answer favourably,
more than two-thirds of the population, to sign andratify the Nuclear Weapons Treaty. These figures
confirm, at the national level, the global
developments towards the elimination of nuclear
weapons.
For the French Peace Movement, these data
reinforce the dynamics of the fundamental
movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons,
which is expressed through the constitution of a vastinternational gathering for the elimination of theseweapons, illegal for international law, dangerous
because threatening the very existence of humanity,
ineffective and militarily useless to ensure thesafety of our people, financially costly and morally
inadmissible.
However, these results can be shaded by the factthat to a first question concerning public
expenditure, only 18% of pooled people consider
that the budget of "defense, army", would be thesecond position to reduce. The security context withwhich citizens are flooded since the 2015 attacks

First of all, I would like to express the solidarityof the French Peace Movement (le Mouvement dela Paix) and all our compassion for the families who
were bruised by the terrible floods that particularly
affected the province of Hiroshima.
It is with great pleasure that we respond to thecall of the Organizing Committee of this World
Conference against A and H Bombs.
A victory of citizen mobilizations
The adoption by the UN of a treaty to ban
nuclear weapons could not have been possible
without the tireless testimony of the Hibakushas andthe permanence of the mobilizations of the peace
movements in Japan. It is also a victory for millions
of people and NGOs who, throughout the world,
have acted for decades for the definitive eliminationof all weapons of mass destruction in connection
and convergence with the actions of a number ofcountries and national and international institutions
such as the UN, the International Red Cross, theILO, the ITUC (International Trade Union
Confederation).
Global issues
Nuclear weapons are a deadly danger forhumanity. The challenge of their eradication islinked to other issues such as war and peace, fairand sustainable development, the fight against
global warming and more broadly for a world ofjustice, fraternity and equality (especially between
men and women), so with the general struggle forhuman rights.
Humanity has never had as today the capacity
and the means to face these challenges and to create30

may explain this result down from previous studies.
But this opinion study contradicts the choices
made by the government and parliament who havejust voted, without any effort of public debate, a
new Military Program Law aiming in particular at
renewing the whole of the French atomic arsenal, incomplete contradiction with the international lawthat makes illegal the possession, manufacture andthreat of use of the atomic weapon.
In France, the majority and the current
government (Macron) is in favor of nuclear
deterrence, the militarization of international
relations, military interventions abroad andalignment with NATO policies.
Regarding the doctrine of nuclear deterrence,
more and more voices raise in France to question it,
including those of former ministers of defense. For
the French Peace Movement this doctrine inevitably
leads to proliferation.
Proof of this is the possession of the nuclear
weapon by North Korea.
Following the meeting between Donald Trump and
Kim Jong-un, the French Peace Movement declareditself satisfied and vigilant considering that thesefirst steps allow hope.
However, this should not lead us to forget someangles of the current international situation,
namely :• the new United States nuclear weapons policy
with the resumption of the building of tactical
nuclear weapons,• the serious withdrawal of the US from the Iranian
nuclear agreement,• the will of the nuclear powers to prevent theratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons.
It is therefore necessary to support the demandsof the Peace Movements, the States and the United
Nations for the demilitarization of this region, its
denuclearization and the closing of foreign militarybases.
Similarly, the initiatives of the Association ofSouth East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its
Member States should be supported for peacefulsolutions to the conflicts in the region and to build
a zone of peace, cooperation and development,
without nuclear weapons, with the objective ofextending these efforts to North-East Asia.

express themselves in this direction.
Campaign
The French Peace Movement has launched acampaign for France to commit, sign and ratify theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW). A petition has already collected several
thousand signatures. The film "The Bomb and us"
is broadcast in many cinemas in partnership with
the Peace Movement and the member organizationsof ICAN-France. It allows for public debates on theissues of dangerousness, the uselessness of nuclear
weapons but also on the doctrine of deterrence.
This campaign will be expressed during theinitiatives around the International Day of Peace on
September 21st and during the Peace Marchesorganized throughout France on Saturday,
September 22nd 2018 in association with thenational collective “Marching for Peace” including
153 organizations.
On Sunday, October 14 2018, many partners areorganizing with French Peace Movement a day ofmobilization on "the scene of crime". The Peace
Movement insists: "We want to challenge thePresident of the French Republic to tell him: Mr
President, Remove the bomb from your skull". The
pacifists will converge on the places where theFrench state is preparing the atomic war todenounce the humanitarian consequences and theillegality of the nuclear weapon. “Now it'sconfirmed, we are the majority; Mr President, youmust listen to this will and commit France to theratification of the TPNW.”In Europe
The European Parliament has passed resolutions
in favor of nuclear disarmament, but we must also
act for a Europe of Peace including all European
states, including Russia for a common security
based on a logic inspired by the Helsinki principles.
The next European elections in 2019 will be an
opportunity for European pacifist movements to31has no way to overcome its inferiority inconventional military strength.
To this end, it was of paramount importance tounderstand how denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula is closely connected to building mutual
military trust, bringing an end to the current state ofarmistice and establish a peace regime, andnormalizing the U.S.-North Korea relations as wellas the North Korea-Japan relations, and then seek acomprehensive solution. The recent summits are a
big achievement in that the three leaders agreed in a
broader view to such a comprehensive resolution
for the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. These
agreements imply that the negotiations on putting
an end to the state of armistice and normalizing therelations can be done in parallel with or prior to thenegotiations on addressing the nuclear issue. The
U.S. changed its past stance of “no denuclearization,no negotiations.” This comprehensive solution issomething that our civil society, including PSPD,
have consistently proposed over a long period oftime. Moon-Kim Summits and Trump-Kim Summit
are a clear demonstration that this proposal was not
mere idealism, but a feasible idea of possible
agreement.
It is important to remain consistent with thisperspective of comprehensive resolution in future
dialogues and negotiations. We cannot go back to
the past approach, where people believed it waspossible to use economic rewards to make North
Korea abolish nuclear weapons and missiles. Thisapproach has proven unsuccessful at thenegotiations over the last 30 years.
Civil society should follow up with discussions
and an action plan regarding “what thedenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is". A
complete denuclearization equates to a condition
whereby nuclear threats to the Korean Peninsula areeliminated. This goal cannot be achieved only by
North Korea’s verifiable and irreversible
dismantling of its past, present, and future nuclear
capabilities. The goal can be achieved only when all
military strategies reliant on nuclear deterrence
disappear from both the Korean Peninsula and thearea surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Therefore,
the nuclear umbrella (extended deterrence) strategy
on which South Korea and America or South Korea,
America, and Japan rely should also be dealt withas part of the agenda along with North Korea’s
denuclearization. For the Korean Peninsula’ssolution to nuclear issues to develop into a steppingstone toward a nuclear threat-free northeast Asiaand a nuclear-free world, it would be meaningful if“a truly nuclear-free Korean Peninsula” wasrealized. Civil society has long insisted that
denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula bediscussed in the context of constructing a nuclear-

Hwang Soo Young
Center for Peace and Disarmament,
People’s Solidarity for Participatory
Democracy
R.O.K.
Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Sooyoung Hwang,an activist from Center for Peace and Disarmamentof Korea’s People's Solidarity for Participatory
Democracy. I would like to express my deep
appreciation for those who have worked hard to get
rid of nuclear weapons on Earth, and particularly forJapan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo)
for inviting me today.
As you all know, the Korean Peninsula, where I
live, is at a critical turning point. The recent two
Inter-Korean Summits and the U.S.-North Korea
Summit have marked successful initial steps
towards the peace on the Korean Peninsula. In the
Panmunjom Declaration, the leaders of the Koreas
agreed to “improve inter-Korean relations,eliminate the danger of war, establish a peace
regime on the Korean Peninsula, and realize anuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete
denuclearization.” Also, the leaders of the UnitedStates and North Korea reached a comprehensive
agreement on “establishing new U.S.-DPRK
relations, building a peace regime on the Korean
Peninsula, committing to work towards
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, andrepatriating the remains of POW/MIA.“ Today, thefollow-up dialogues are taking place accordingly. In
the meantime, actions have been taken by theparties to reduce mutual threats, such as suspension
of ROK-US joint military exercises and demolitionof the test stand for ICBM in North Korea. Seoul,
Pyongyang and Washington have laid a solid
foundation for dialogue. I believe this will serve asa driving force to keep up the momentum for peace.
Koreans greatly welcome this set of current events.
The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula takes
up a large part of the global nuclear conflict. To
address this issue, it is essential to understand theessence of this problem. A prolonged nuclear
conflict on the Korean Peninsula should be viewed
as part of the unstable armistice regime, not as
deviation of a rogue state, or North Korea. This
problem has arisen in the midst of the militaryconfrontation and the arms race that has been goingon for the past few decades. For several decades,
South Korea has spent its military expenses thatexceed an annual GDP of North Korea, and thisexcludes the military expenses spent by the U.S.
Forces in Korea. The reason why North Korea
began being obsessed with asymmetric warfare
capabilities, such as nuclear and missiles, is that it

32

free zone in Northeast Asia. On the other hand, it isalso worthy of exploring the possibility that Northand South Koreas would simultaneously
proactively seek to join the Treaty for theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons as a solution to
respond to the promotion of a complete
denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and auniversal desire of the human race for a nuclear-freeworld, and Japan, Korea’s neighboring country, andother nuclear powers around the Korean Peninsula
would gradually follow suit.
What happened on the Korean Peninsula in2018 once again proves to the world that theimportant factor is a matter of trust, not stronger
military power or higher military expenses. We
reaffirmed the power of dialogue through the InterKorean Summit and the U.S.-North Korea Summit.
We believe the most realistic measure to resolve
military conflicts over the Korean Peninsula andrealize a peace regime thereon and denuclearization
thereof is dialogue and negotiation.
With this in mind, we should keep theunwavering principles of “peace by peaceful means,
resolution by dialogue and negotiation” under any
circumstances. As the period of conflicts andconfrontation was long, the upcoming process forthe peaceful Korean Peninsula faces a bumpy ride.
Peace activists and civil societies across the globe
should consistently support this process aiming tobring peace through dialogues and negotiations. We
should watch whether the agreements between thethree leaders are well implemented while urging thegovernments to respect each other with patience andremain committed in implementing the agreed
terms.
On June 12, as I was watching “the historichandshake” that shatters 70 years of hostility, I
thought of a number of lost opportunities by thepeople living on the Korean Peninsula. In a society
always ready for a war, we have lost more friends,
a broader perspective and a bigger imagination.
When President Trump and Chairman Kim
exchanged hostile rhetoric to each other, the Korean
Peninsula was filled with the fear of nuclear war.
Under the firm belief that “only a strong military
power will protect us,” a huge part of our limited
national budget was invested in national defense.
Although Korea has the lowest welfare expenditureand the highest suicide rate in OECD countries, itranks the world’s top 10 in terms of military
expenditure every year. We were not allowed to ask
questions or raise doubts over national defense. The
experiences of war and violence have passed down
unhealed, and as a result, Korean people have been
easily hostile to others, looked down on minorities,
and been unable to accept differences. It is
important to remember what we have lost, because

only by then, we have power not to go back. It wasquite difficult to begin the process for the peaceful
Korean Peninsula. Therefore, we cannot afford togo back.
It is no longer an impossible dream to start froma nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, moving on to
nuclear-free Northeast Asia to the nuclear-freeworld, especially when combined with your effort.

Yasui Masakazu
Secretary General
Japan Council against A and H Bombs(Gensuikyo)
Crucial Role of the Civil Society Movements
First of all, I would like to offer my heartfelt
sympathy to the people who suffered heavy damage
from flooding and mudslides caused by record rainlast month in Hiroshima and other western Japaneseareas. I want to thank people of Hiroshima forsparing no efforts to prepare the World Conference
despite many difficulties. And I would also like towelcome all participants in the 2018 World
Conference against A & H Bombs from around theworld as well as Japan.
This year’s World Conference is taking place
amid upheavals in the world as well as in Japan overthe issues of banning and eliminating nuclear
weapons, and peace without nuclear weapons.
For one thing, the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted on July 7,
2017, is now being signed and ratified by a numberof countries towards its entering into force. For
another, agreements were reached at the US-North
Korean summit on June 12 following the interKorean summit in April, marking the start ofprocesses towards the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula and peace in Northeast Asia.
Gensuikyo has consistently called for thepeaceful settlement of the North Korean issue andproposed that the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula should be sought in a comprehensive
manner as an integral part of building a regime ofpeace in the Northeast Asian region. So we truly
welcome these historic agreements for thedenuclearization of and building of a peace systemon the Korean Peninsula. We urge the countries
concerned to promptly translate the agreements into
concrete measures and implement them in a sincere
manner.
I think that behind these developments are thegrowing awareness of the world’s people andincreasing movements for peace and the prohibitionof nuclear weapons. Clearly, the World Conference33

has played a crucial role in the effort to achieve a
total ban and elimination of nuclear weapons. For
more than 60 years since its first meeting in 1955,
the World Conference has helped advance people’s
joint struggle in Japan and internationally, together
with the Hibakusha, with the determination that
Hiroshima or Nagasaki must not be repeated.
In his message to this year’s World Conference,
President Michael Higgins of Ireland commended
the activities of the World Conference, saying, “Thework of this conference in highlighting thecatastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear
weapons helped lay the foundations for thenegotiations leading to the new Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons.” He also noted,“The progress made in recent years will no doubt becelebrated at this year's Conference, but there is stillwork to be done and significant challenges toconfront.”
Friends, Hibakusha have set the year 2020 as thedeadline for achieving the abolition of nuclear
weapons and are dedicating their lives to this final
struggle. We have only a year and a half to go. Inorder to make 2020 a decisive year to accomplish
the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and a“nuclear weapon-free, peaceful and just world”, wemust make great progress in our movement.
Over the entry into force of the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons, we are seeing
conflict between the forces promoting the treaty andthe forces against it. If the treaty comes into force,it will put significant political and moral pressure
not only on the parties to the treaty, but also on those
who are not parties.
This is why the United States and other nucleararmed states are putting pressure on the pro-treaty
nations, going as far as to say, “Nuclear-deterrenceis necessary in the present security environment”
and “The world would become more dangerous if
we disarm now”, while increasing their adherence
to nuclear weapons, as seen in their policy ofdeveloping new types of weapons. But it is clearthat nuclear deterrence will bring catastrophic
damage on humans, as it presupposes the actual use
of nuclear arms.
As the Declaration of the International Meeting
adopted at last year’s World Conference pointed out,
“To move forward towards completely eliminating
nuclear weapons, it is of decisive importance tobuild a majority of opinion in support of the treaty
in the nuclear-armed countries and their allies andpress their governments to sign and ratify the treaty
with the force of public opinion and movements.”
Recently we have seen some progress in world
opinion. The U.S. Conference of Mayors(membership of 1400 cities) in its annual meeting
last June unanimously adopted a resolution to urge

the Trump Administration to support the TPNW.
Opinion polls in Belgium, the Netherlands,
Germany and Italy show that 60-70% of the public
say their respective countries should sign the
TPNW.
And in Japan, we are building a joint effort topromote the signature campaign in support of the“International Hibakusha Appeal”. A promotion
committee, with the Hibakusha as initiators, hasbeen set up in 26 prefectures, including Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. That’s more than half of the total
number of prefectures. The joint signature drive
involves a broad range of organizations, including
Gensuikyo, citizens’ co-operatives, Gensuikin/
Peace Forum groups, and others. In Hyogo
Prefecture, the call of the Hibakusha organization
has been responded to by 15 local government
heads, including the prefectural governor and themayor of Kobe City, who appeared with theirprofile photos on the campaign posters soliciting
people’s signatures.
The interim report on the progress of thesignature campaign will be announced on August 6
by the national Hibakusha Appeal Promotion
Committee, but the number of signatures reported
to us from Gensuikyo groups around the country
has reached 3 million. Endorsement by mayors ofmunicipalities has exceeded 60% of all mayors.
Local assembly resolutions urging the Japanese
government to sign and ratify the treaty have been
adopted by 296 municipalities (out of 1700), up by
160 during the last 6 months.
Friends, Hibakusha say, “Earnestly desiring theelimination of nuclear weapons without delay, we,the Hibakusha, call on all national governments toconclude a treaty to ban and eliminate nuclear
weapons.” Now that the world is poised to listen to
the voices of the Hibakusha, we must spread theirappeal all over the world.
The annual general meeting of the Japan
Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers
Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) resolved to aim togather signatures from a majority of the Japanesepeople endorsing the “International Hibakusha
Appeal”. Let us successfully submit the collectedsignatures to the U.N. General Assembly session
this coming autumn, and make a great leap forward
toward next spring’s Preparatory Committee of the2020 NPT Review Conference.
For us, the movement of the A-bombed country,
which has the Article 9 peace clause in its
Constitution, it is our responsibility to theinternational community to make the Japanese
government play its due role.
While claiming to be a “bridge” between nonnuclear and nuclear-armed countries ininternational forums, the government of Japan34

continues to oppose the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons. It willingly supports the U.S.
strategy of using nuclear weapons, expressing highappreciation for Trump’s Nuclear Poster Review(NPR). On North Korea’s nuclear issue, it turned its
back on efforts to achieve peace and thedenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,
repeatedly calling for “maximum level of pressure”,
while throwing cold water on every effort to resolve
the issue by holding talks, saying that it was a“waste of time.”
But in view of the recent developments towards
the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,
Japan’s stance of total dependence on the U.S.
“nuclear umbrella” has been shown to be bankrupt.
We are calling on the Japanese government to breakaway from the “nuclear umbrella” and to take thelead in achieving the complete elimination of
nuclear weapons by joining the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons. We also urge
Japan to welcome the agreement on thedenuclearization of and peace regime building on

the Korean Peninsula, to maintain the position ofachieving a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of
the issues, and to try to solve the bilateral problems
based on the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declarationand joint statements of the Six-Party Talks forachieving peace. All attempts to strengthen theJapan-U.S. military alliance and rewrite Article 9 of
the Constitution should be stopped immediately.
This year’s World Conference is to be joined byrepresentatives of one of the opposition parties in a
coalition of parties that support the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons and also by the
representative of the All-Out Action Committee toPrevent War and the Scrapping of Article 9. Also,
for the first time, we will welcome therepresentative of the All-Okinawan Coalition
Against New Construction of Henoko Base, toexpress our support for the struggle in Okinawa. I
want to conclude my remarks by expressing ourdetermination to increase cooperation among theseorganizations across the country and change Japan
with new joint efforts of the people.

35

groups to strengthen their cooperation efforts. As
the time is shifting to the era of cooperation of the
movement, women, who are particularly sensitiveon the issues of peace and life, are taking the lead in
the public opinion. The result of every opinion pollbring into relief strong criticism of the women
against the government, as seen in such voices as,“The 600 billion yen for Aegis Ashore missiles
should be spent for air conditioners at schools andevacuation shelters in this hot summer”, “We mustroot out sexual harassments, the worst violation ofhuman rights, and render the society sexual
harassment-free!” It is time to join forces to end the
Abe government without delay, stop its recklesspolitics and establish an alternative government inservice of human life.
Third is to work shoulder to shoulder withyounger generations to foster next generation
leaders. It is in this effort that we are helping many
young people to actively take part in the Word
Conference against A and H Bombs.
Those younger members who have experienced
the movement are forming a generation who act on
their own initiatives. Empowered by what theylearn in the World Conference, our young members
take to the streets to speak to the public, saying,“Are you not disappointed at present politics? The
world may look gloomy, but it is actually changing.
We can change the world together. Please join us”.
Encouraging the development and activities of next
generations, we will increase our membership andensure that women will play their role in bringing
the Constitution into full play and achieving a world
free of nuclear weapons.

Statements:
Kawamura Reiko
Executive Central Committee Member
New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin)
The New Japan Women’s Association(Shinfujin) was founded 56 years ago, upholding
the goal of protecting life from a nuclear war as our
top priority. It has carried on the movement at thegrassroots to meet women’s needs since then. Now
that an opportunity to realize our objectives is
opening up, we place emphasis on three things inpromoting our movement.
First is to have confidence in the current
developments: The Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons was adopted, and the summit
conference between the leaders of the United States
and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
took place for the first time in history. Thesedevelopments enhance our hope for a nuclear-free,peaceful world and Northeast Asia.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and his government
and mainstream media are spreading pessimistic
and skeptical view from their obsession on theJapan-US military alliance.
The end of the Korean War and thenormalization of the US-DPRK diplomatic relation,
if achieved, will drastically change the environment
on peace in the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asiaand the rest of the world. It will be a decisive turnin history. The Abe government has used the“North Korean threat” as a pretext to push ahead
with military buildup under the war-laws and therevision of the Constitution, including Article 9. But
its ground is being totally lost. Now that it is of
crucial importance to change the government in thisA-bombed country, the role of women, along withcitizens, is of vital importance.
Second is to link peace and all other social
movements with the struggle to put an end to the
Abe government. Focusing on the International
Signature Campaign for the Hibakusha Appeal andthe 30-Million Signature Campaign “No to Abe’s
Revision of Article 9” as two major peace
campaigns, we Shinfujin have grappled with them,appealing, “The anger to the Abe Government beturned to your signatures” or that “Your signatures
will end the Abe Government”. Thus, the numberof signatures collected in support of the Hibakusha
Appeal by Shinfujin has exceeded 970,000 and the
No Constitution Revision, 950,000.
With the Okinawa gubernatorial election in thefall and the elections for the House of Councilors
also ahead of us, women and citizens are raising
voices to encourage opposition parties and citizen

Ogata Yasuo
Committee of Chairpersons, Organizing
Committee of World Conference/
Vice Chair, Director of International
Commission, Japanese Communist Party
As of now, 59 countries have signed and 12
have ratified the historic Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons which was adopted at the UN
conference in July 2017. This is significant progressconsidering the fact that the five major nuclear
powers are all hostile to the treaty, claiming that
nuclear disarmament should be achieved in a stepby-step manner without undermining strategic
stability.
Today’s world seems divided over the issue of
nuclear weapons. The forces working for thetreaty’s early entry into force are making progress.
On the other hand, the nuclear powers such as theUnited States and Russia, which had boycotted the36

UN conference on the treaty, have implemented
policies to further enhance nuclear capabilities.
This May, a heated debate on this issue took
place at the Second Preparatory Committee for the2020 NPT Review Conference. The committee is ofimportance as an international arena for all theparties to the NPT and civil society to meet together
and refute the nuclear powers’ self-centered claims.
At those opportunities, we will accuse thenuclear powers of enhancing their nuclear
capability in breach of Article 6 of the NPT andpush them to comply with the article, which
requires nuclear-weapon states to “pursue
negotiations on a treaty on general and complete
disarmament”. Focusing on the argument about thehumanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear
weapons, we will also prove that it is impossible toensure security by the threat of the use of nuclear
weapons. This year’s World Conference has greatsignificance as an opportunity for government
representatives and anti-nuclear peace movements
to exchange views on how to work together to press
nuclear weapon states to abandon their nuclear
arsenals.
The most critical element in such discussions is
A-bomb survivors’ testimonies of living throughnuclear hell. Last year, Pope Francis met Masako
Wada, Assistant Secretary General of Nihon
Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A-and H-BombSufferers Organizations) and listened to her
experience of the A-bomb attack in Nagasaki. After
that, the Pope printed and distributed a photo of alittle boy standing at a cremation pyre with his deadbaby brother on his back, which had been taken by
Joe O’Donnell following the bombing of Nagasaki,
along with his signature and the caption: “The fruitof war”. The Pope has repeatedly sent the message
stating, “Nuclear weapons cannot constitute thebasis for peaceful coexistence between members of
the human family.”
Pope Francis, holding a leading position amongthe 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, also
conveyed his message to the UN conference lastyear and has since expressed his strong support for
the nuclear weapon ban treaty. Meanwhile, theChurch of England recently welcomed the treaty
and called on the British government to “respondpositively” to the convention.
In order to urge each country to sign and ratify
the nuclear weapon ban treaty, it is crucial topromote the International Signature Campaign in
Support of the Appeal of the Hibakusha for the
Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. This campaign,called for by nine A-bomb survivors, made a great
contribution to the adoption of the landmark treaty.
The signature campaign was launched in April 2016,
before the nuclear weapon ban treaty came into

being. It appealed to all nations around the world toconclude an international treaty to ban and abolishnuclear weapons. Without limiting its purpose tosupporting a specific treaty, the campaign wisely,
openly, and fundamentally presented a path toachieving an international agreement for theabolition of nuclear arms. Let us expand thissignature campaign throughout the world to change
the situation proactively.
On June 12, as a historic and global event, theU.S.-North Korea summit was held following theinter-Korean summit in April. The two leadersagreed to build a peace structure and denuclearize
the Korean Peninsula. The situation has
dramatically changed from last year’s height oftension to a resolution through dialogue. ThisWorld Conference, having worked to that end, isnewly tasked with making continued efforts topromote this process with prospects for peace inNortheast Asia, including the denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula.
Even if there are many twists and turns, thedecisive power to bring about peace lies in peoples’
movements and public opinion. What has built the
new U.S.-North Korea relations is peoples’mounting calls for a resolution not through war but
through dialogue.
How things will go also depends on world
opinion, as is the case with the issue of eliminating
nuclear weapons. Here in Japan, we need to push
the Japanese government to sign and ratify thetreaty and work to have the North Korea issue
resolved through dialogue in the spirit of the warrenouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.
In June, I took part in an international anti-nuclear
meeting in Oxford, England. In these kinds ofmeetings, I always find - with some exceptions that civil society’s movements are very active innuclear-weapon states and their allies. In many ofthe member states of the NATO, the majority of the
public is in favor of signing the nuclear weapon ban
treaty.
In that meeting, I appealed for cooperation for
the international signature campaign and discussed
the joint efforts to encourage each government tosign the treaty. In Japan, along with the JapaneseCommunist Party, most opposition parties havecome to demand the government’s early signatureand ratification. Taking responsibility for
movements in each country and promotinginternational cooperation, let us work together tocarve out a path to a new era of world peace.

37

Korean War it sent a delegation to Korea to conduct
an investigation on the war crimes against thecivilians, including women and children committed
by the US forces in the name of "UN Forces". Ittranslated the investigation report immediately into
24 languages and called on the international society
for the cessation of the war.
Last April, a WIDF delegation paid a solidarity
visit in Pyongyang and issued a declaration callingon the women of the world to make efforts for thewithdrawal of all the foreign bases, elimination of
nuclear weapons and the independent and peacefulreunification of South and North Koreas.
FUDANREN
reconfirms
that
broad
international solidarity, including NGOs such as
WIDF, can achieve the denuclearization andpermanent peace of the Korean Peninsula. We
promise to you that, together with WIDF, we will
stand against Abe’s attempt to revise Article 9 of theConstitution and will continue fighting for realizing
denuclearization and peace of East Asia and thewhole world.

Shibata Masako
Executive Committee Member, Women’s
International Democratic Federation(WIDF)/ Japan Federation of Women’s
Organizations (FUDANREN)
For the denuclearization and peace of the East
Asia and the whole world
I am Masako Shibata, a member of the Direction
Committee of the Women’s International
Democratic Federation (WIDF) and the President ofJapan Federation of Women’s Organizations(FUDANREN).
WIDF was founded in 1945 for common goals;
the rights of women, happiness of children andpermanent peace. Its affiliate organizations are
struggling against terrorism and war and for thecause of women’s rights in 5 regions; Middle East,
Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. The President
is Lorena Pena from El Salvador.
FUDANREN was founded in 1953 against
rearmament of Japan, demanding immediate
cessation of the Korean War and has been engaged
in women’s joint activities for peace since then.
These years FUDANREN has called on the WIDF
affiliates to collect the International Hibakusha
Appeal Signatures and to urge their governments tosign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons. We collected signatures at the
WIDF 16th Congress in Colombia in 2016 and fromthe friends from the Federation of Cuban Women,
the Portuguese Democratic Movement of Womenand so on.
FUDANREN has also consistently called for apeaceful resolution of North Korean issues
threatening East Asia through dialogue. We heartily
welcome the U.S. and North Korea summit meeting
last June as the first step toward denuclearization
and a regime of peace of the Korean Peninsula. We
hope that this process will bring about big changes
to the regional situation. For this, collaborative
efforts by the countries directly concerned and theinternational community at large are both needed.
In addition, it is essential to strengthen public
opinion and movements supporting this process.
Japan, as a provider of logistic backup to "UN
Forces" at the Korean War and the only nation tohave been attacked with nuclear weapons in war,should play a role by supporting and promoting thepeace process that has begun. It has to work for acomprehensive resolution of bilateral issues with
North Korea such as the settlement of historicalissues, including sexual slavery and fornormalization of diplomatic ties.
WIDF has a history that in 1951 during the38

Plenary Session III:
Solidarity & Cooperation of Movements against Nuclear Weapons
with Other Movements for: Peaceful Settlement of Conflicts;
Eradication of Radiation Damage; Zero Nuclear Power Plants;
Environment; Development; Overcoming Poverty &Social Gap and People’s Living
㸦August 3㸧

I would like to take a moment to thank theorganizers for their hard work organizing thisConference. No string was left untied, a testament
to their skill and dedication to providing a stressfree Conference.
As the Assistant Director of Massachusetts Peace
Action, I am here to report on the activities ourorganization has participated in to bring about theabolition of the most devastating weapons of mass
destruction.
Massachusetts Peace Action is a nonprofit
organization headquartered in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Members of our organization havebeen working for abolition since 1957 when
Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy was first
formed. Massachusetts Peace Action formed in the

Introductory Reports:
Michelle Cunha
Peace Action/ Assistant Director
Massachusetts Peace Action
U.S.A
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in
the World Conference. To be invited to be part of
the global nuclear abolition community is an honor
I cannot convey in words. Many of my colleagues
from Peace Action have come to the World
Conference over the years and each has expressed
how life changing it was. I am already feeling thechanges my colleagues have spoken of.

39

1980s as a local affiliate of Peace Action.
Peace Action National Office in Washington,
DC offers a statement of solidarity:
On this 73rd memorial of the devastation
inflicted on the cities and people of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, Peace Action expresses ourorganization’s solidarity with you, and ourongoing commitment to doing the work, side byside, to build a movement for peace so loud thatit cannot be ignored.
We extend a special message of support andsolidarity to our siblings in Hiroshima, who
experienced great loss and trauma due toextreme weather conditions. Our hearts extend
to you and your communities as you rebuild andrecover. Because our world is one, we cannot besilent about our governments' need to address
climate change, poverty, and inequality – anddemand they pursue policies rooted in justiceand peace. The alternative future is unbearable,
and thus we must persist.
The work I do is with the local affiliate
Massachusetts Peace Action. Nuclear disarmament
is our primary project and is led by Dr. JonathanKing, a retired biology professor from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr King hasorganized three conferences on “Reducing theThreat of Nuclear War”, the most recent one withthe subtitle “Invest in Minds Not Missiles”. The
speakers vary from local politicians to community
organizers who understand how and why poverty ison the rise in the United States. These panels
explain how the United States Federal Budget isskewed heavily toward the military budget at theexpense of social programs which many poor andworking families rely upon to make ends meet.
In November of last year, the conference“Presidential First Use of Nuclear Weapons: Is it
Legal? Is it Constitutional? Is it just?” wasorganized by Dr. Elaine Scarry, a member of ournuclear disarmament group and Harvard professor
of English, American Literature, and Language andauthor of Thermonuclear Monarchy: Choosing
Between Democracy and Doom. Nuclear weapons
strategy in the United States rests on “presidential
first use,” an arrangement that enables one man, thepresident, to kill and maim many millions of people
in a single afternoon. The speakers included
distinguished guests such as William Perry former
United States Secretary of Defense, United States
Senator Edward Markey and Congressman James
McGovern. It also brought together internationaland constitutional scholars to examine the nature ofpresidential first use in the United States, as well as
parallel arrangements in the other nuclear states.
Massachusetts Peace Action also plans actions
designed to attract the attention of the press. We

held one such action this past Spring.
Each year on or about April 19th, the Town of
Lexington, Massachusetts recreates the Shot Heard
Around the World, a day which commemorates the
beginning of the American Revolution. Rife withcitizen-actors who play parts of key Revolutionaries,
people in period-piece costumes reenact the Battleon the Green in Lexington. About 10,000 people
come to witness American History in action.
However, inclement weather postponed our event
this year. It was moved from April to May.
Memorial Day is a holiday celebrated in the
United States at the end of May. It was designatedto commemorate our Civil War dead, and sinceWorld War II, it has become a holiday to build
patriotic nationalism. It is a weekend of highnational pride. American flags are hung on houses,
business, and cars. The colors red, white, and blue
are ubiquitous. Seen on flags, on clothing, in food,the colors of the American Flag are everywhere.
Massachusetts Peace Action used this day ofnational pride to highlight the Nuclear Command
and Control Communications, one of which islocated on Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford,
Massachusetts, the town I live in.
How did Nuclear Command and Control
Communications end up on Hanscom? And what isa“Nuclear
CommandandControlCommunications”? In 2015 the Air Force began a
project to upgrade the communications systems for
the United States’ nuclear arsenal. NC3 is acomplex, multi-level system that will provide“secure, survivable and resilient communications
path to issue nuclear orders to warfighters.”
Hanscom will be responsible for acquisition andintegration of technology for NC3. In short, the Air
Force wants to upgrade all the communication
systems some of which are still on an analog system.
Members of Massachusetts Peace Action, the
New England Peace Pagoda, American Friends
Service Committee, Pax Christi Massachusetts,
Friends Meeting House of Cambridge, and several
Unitarian Universalist congregations along with
Veterans for Peace, walked around Lexington
handing out flyers about nuclear weapons and thecost to taxpayers associated with nuclear arms, topassersby. At 2 minutes to 13:00, we froze in place.
A The “freeze” represented three things: 1. A hattip to the nuclear freeze movement that did suchgreat work in the 1980s, 2. To indicate theDoomsday Clock had been moved to 2 minutes tomidnight, the first time it had been moved since
1953, and 3. The frigid cold of a nuclear winter.
After freezing for two minutes we then walked 3
miles from Lexington to Lincoln to Hanscom’s gate.
We walked along the Battle Road, the route the
Minutemen and Red Coats followed during the40

Revolution.
Once we were at the gate of Hanscom there
were speeches by myself, Dr. Joseph Gerson whom
you all know, Dr. King, Dr. Scarry, and participant
John Bach. I spoke about how many people thinkstruggles around nuclear policies play out only in
distant capitals such as Washington and Moscow,
not in places like the quintessential New Englandtowns of Lincoln and Lexington Massachusetts. Dr.
Gerson spoke about the use and consequences ofnuclear weapons. Dr. King discussed the federal
budget and how the addiction to war is bankrupting
the United States, and Dr. Scarry opined about theimportance of an engaged citizenry as leaders in the
nuclear abolition movement. John Bach spoke fromthe Quaker perspective and the importance of using
civil disobedience to deliver the message ofdisarmament to political leaders across the world.
After the speeches, six dedicated nuclear
disarmament folks crossed the line put in place by
the Lincoln police, were put in handcuffs, and thenescorted away. All were released on their own
personal recognisance less than 2 hours later. The
following day all six appeared in local court where
their charges were dismissed.
This is just the beginning of our campaign tohighlight Hanscom and its role in the new nuclear
arms race. We will continue to work fordisarmament as we are part of the forward looking
global movement of nuclear disarmament.

them. During the exercises, the use of nuclear
weapons is simulated.
The Russian government has publishedconditions under which Russia will be the first touse nuclear weapons. This can happen even if thethreat from outside is not linked to the use of nuclear
weapons. In the same time according to the Ministryof Foreign Affairs of the Russia, "the prohibition of
nuclear weapons contradicts the national interestsof Russia."
During recent military exercises, President
Vladimir Putin personally launched the Russian"nuclear triad". Four transcontinental missiles werelaunched from submarines, as well as from air andground-based facilities capable of carrying nuclear
weapons. Thus, the Supreme Commander-in-Chiefof Russia demonstrated a psychological readiness touse nuclear weapons.
Dear colleagues, for many years I have lived on
the Baltic sea coast, next to St. Petersburg, a few
kilometers from the one of the largest nuclear
clusters on our planet. Here, 10 military and civilian
nuclear reactors were built and 3 new reactors are
currently under construction. In addition, there are
5,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel assemblies
containing as much plutonium as there were if 3,000
bombs were dropped on Nagasaki. In addition,
more than 30 NPP nuclear reactors were built and 4
currently are under construction.
If a nuclear conflict in the Baltic begins, it will be asocio-ecological collapse for 100 million
inhabitants of the Baltic region.
My colleagues from Scandinavia and I initiatedthe collection of signatures around the Baltic region
with calls to the leaders of NATO countries andRussia, European and Russian Parliamentarians tostop the confrontation and militarization of theBaltic region.
We called on the parliaments of the countries
around the Baltic to finance programs to save theBaltic ecosystem instead of military games. Under
our call, 110 representatives of non-governmentalorganizations from the Baltic region, as well as theUnited Kingdom, France and the United States
signed.
Dear participants of the Conference, Russian
President Putin promotes the idea that enemies
surround the country, and it is necessary to invest
all necessary national resources in military
preparations. Thanks to this, the militarization of
the public consciousness can be intensified and theuse of military force is justified.
A similar situation with the political mainstream
about NATO exists in the European Union
countries. The politicians of NATO, EU and Russia
try to separate us, to make us enemies.
We are against such a strategy!

Oleg Bodrov
Chairperson, Public Council of the South
Coast of the Gulf of Finland/ Film director
RussiaCold Nuclear War in the Baltic Sea andMobilization of the Anti-War Community
Dear participants of the conference! Today I'm
here with you not only to bow my head in memoryof the victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, andFukushima. I am here to unite our efforts against the
expansion of military and so-called peaceful atomic
technologies.
Unfortunately, Japanese historical lessons ofusing "military" and "peaceful" nuclear energy are
not learned in many parts of our planet.
I am from the Еastern part of the Baltic Sea
region, from St. Petersburg, Russia. Through theBaltic Sea, there is a line of confrontation between
Russia and NATO.
Here the military exercises of NATO and Russia
are developing rapidly and steadily. Tens of
thousands of soldiers from both sides take part in41

If you come to the countryside near St.
Petersburg, Hiroshima or Nagasaki and ask thepeople what is most important for you in life?
I am sure that most people will say: the health ofchildren and relatives, a healthy peacefulenvironment, decent work.
Dear friends, we live in our common house –Planet Earth! We raise our children together withyou and need a healthy environment.
Together we can and must stop nuclear
expansion and the militarization of public
consciousness in our countries.
Let us unite our efforts to save our planet Earthfrom military and “peaceful” nuclear technologies.
No more Hiroshima, No more Nagasaki, no more
Chernobyl, no more Fukushima!

Dong Huy Cuong
Secretary General
Vietnam Peace Committee
I am very happy to be here again with old andnew friends from across the world who have beensparing no effort for a world without nuclear
weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. I
would like to thank the Japan Council against A and
H Bombs (Gensuikyo) for giving me such a chance.
Please allow me to convey to all of you thewarmest greetings and best wishes from theVietnam Peace Committee and especially frommillions of Vietnamese, both those who haveexperienced the pain of war and those who havenever.
This year, I am also honored again to hand overto the conference the message of solidarity fromState President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Tran Dai Quang.
Friends, I am sure that we are all in emotional
feeling whenever we attend the conference against
A&H bombs. As we are preparing to make apresentation, we have the chance to look back atwhat that has been happening since 1945 and,especially, since last year’s conference. We feel thepain of Hibakusha and other war victims who arestill living in agony, we feel warm in the spirit ofinternational solidarity, sometimes we feel
discouraged and sometimes we feel encouraged bywhat is happening worldwide.
In my last year’s speech, I emphasized that the
adoption of a legally-binding treaty that would ban
nuclear weapons with a view to their totalelimination was a milestone but also put a question
mark on the ratification and especially
implementation of the treaty. After a year, we haveseen positive sign: 10 countries have ratified thetreaty. I myself am happy that Vietnam is among thefirst countries having signed and ratified the treaty
and that the Vietnamese Government and people
pursue a consistent policy of supporting efforts by
the international community for non-proliferationof nuclear weapons because we do understand theconsequences of war and of nuclear and otherweapons of mass destruction.
We have also seen positive signs of a peace
process in the Korean Peninsula with the InterKorea and US-DPR Korea Summits. Though there
is no specific plan for the abolition of nuclear
weapons, we are confident about better
developments which may open up a bright future
for Korean people, as well as for people in theregion.
However, it is easy to see that many countries
are still researching, developing, manufacturing,

Sosnovy Bor’s Nuclear Cluster

42

and Gensuikyo for the privilege of being here andfor your continuing support for our work in thePhilippines and in many parts of the world.
Two years ago, a candidate for the Philippine
presidency promised among many other promises,that if elected, he will pursue an independent
foreign policy for the Philippines; that he will end
the military exercises, wargames and U.S. militarypresence in Philippine soil; that he will honor the
nuclear free, bases free constitution as a legacy to
the future generation; that he will end labor
contractualization and exploitation to secure
employment and livelihood for the working class;that government will generate more employment sothat families will not be separated as one of its
members have to work overseas; that he will makeas centerpiece of his administration, the end of drug
and corruption to combat poverty; that he will
uphold human rights; that health and education will
be his primary concern; that dialogue and peace
process with some of the longest running rebellion
in our country especially in Mindanao will be
pursued to its final settlement; so on and so forth.
Unfortunately, it seems true that promises are madeto be broken.
Two years into the Duterte presidency, thatpromise of independent foreign policy has becomea pivot to China and Russia. Not only have ourgovernment turned its back on the gains of thedecision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration
given last July 12, 2016 favoring the Philippines in
its maritime dispute against China, in its desire to
get China’s aid and loans (with unfavorable
conditionalities) for the government Build, Build,
Build infrastructure projects. The Philippine
government has remained silent, not a single protest
against the 7 artificial islands are now being
developed by China in the Spratlys that now covers
almost 1,300 hectares as bases for its warplanes,
submarines, missiles and aircraft carriers. This istantamount to the Philippines’ permission tomilitarization in the Asia and Pacific region.
While the Philippine China relations progress,
we also see the increasing big shipments of drugs
from China into Philippine ports especially inSouthern Philippines and China has not deliveredon its promised aid and loans in a significant way.
We would like for the Philippines to adopt a
genuinely independent foreign policy, one thatswears friendship to all and enmity to none, a policythat gives primacy to our national interests
independent of the conflict between Big Powers. It
is a policy that, above all, refocuses our effort on themost urgent issue, that of accelerated economic
growth to address mass poverty, on which all othersources of national strength depend. That the ideal
strategic direction is for the Philippines to enjoy the

trading in, and threatening to use nuclear and otherweapons of mass destruction and that the weaponsindustry is still making huge profit. In addition,
President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the
Iran nuclear deal, growing tension resulting fromsovereignty disputes over sea and land between
nations are threatening peace, security and stability
in the region and heavily impacting people’s life,
especially disregard of international laws andagreements and resort to the threat or use of force
by big powers.
That is why we are here together again to work
together for a world without war, without nuclear
and other weapons of mass destruction, for justicefor Hibakusha, victims of Agent Orange and otherwar victims. We need to strengthen our peace
network to create synergies to bring pressure to bear
upon governments to totally abolish nuclear andother weapons of mass destruction, put people’s
lives ahead of profit, abide by international law, notuse force or threaten to use force against othercountries, and respect other countries’ sovereignty.
I am confident that the World Conference against A
and H Bombs will continue to serve as a platform
for our solidarity and cooperation.
The Vietnam Peace Committee would like tojoin hands with all peace-loving forces to make surethat such tragedies as those in Hiroshima &Nagasaki, Vietnam and other countries shall neverbe repeated.
I am looking forward to a day when there are no
threats of war and all peace activists andmovements be made redundant.
May I wish for an enormously fruitfulconference, for a beautiful world free from nuclear
weapons, and for the good health and happiness of
all of you.
No more Hiroshima! No more Nagasaki!
Justice for Hibakushas! Justice for all war
victims!

Corazon Valdez Fabros
Secretary General
Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition
Friends, it is always heartwarming to come toHiroshima – to be amongst friends who dream for aworld free of nuclear weapons, a world that ispeaceful and just; to be touched by the stories thatchanged the lives of many 73 years ago and its
aftermath and to be inspired by your continuingcommitment and dedication. I bring greetings offriendship and solidarity from the Philippines andfrom the International Peace Bureau. I wish to thankthe organizing committee of the World Conference

43friendship of the U.S., China and Japan and not to
be a pawn in their inevitable conflicts.
There are disturbing developments as well:- More than 25,000 deaths/extra judicial killings
from the government’s anti-drug campaign;- Continuing pursuit of unequal relations with
the United States thru the implementation ofagreements related to defense cooperation,
logistics, military exercises, storage of arms andequipment and frequent ship visit and increasing
volume of personnel and other allied country
representations.
- Increase military spending,- Privatization of basic services in Education,
health, transportation, communications andsocial services- Continuing attack on United Nations,
European Union, the International Criminal
Court because of their strong critique of thePhilippine government’s killings, impunity andcorruption- Martial Law in Mindanao and the bombings in
Marawi that resulted in the destruction of thecity and the continuing evacuation anddisplacements of over 500,000 residents forced
to leave their homes due to military operations
against the rebels and terrorists groups.
- The continuing misogyny, extreme disrespectof women and children,- Cancellation of Peace talks and thegovernment’s escalation of its repression against
vocal critics of governments wrong economic
policies- The relentless drive to change the Philippine
Constitution towards a direction to authoritarianregime resulting in the disregard and reductionof peoples’ economic, social, political rights andfreedom and the diminution of Philippine
sovereignty.
- Amendments to the Human Security Act
expanding the definition of terrorist acts,
adoption of death penalty and increasing role ofmilitary and police.
This could be a long list and I know that manyof those I have cited resonates in your own countriesof origin and in your communities but I will stop
here. . . Indeed, we live in dangerous andchallenging times. But it is times like this that bringsout the best in us. And part of the reasons we aregathered here today is to learn from each other as
we find ways to build on the movements we havestarted. That despite the seeming difficulties that weface today, people are unmasking the ugly head ofmilitarism, fascism, dictatorship, plunder ofresources to benefit a few, impunity and wanton
violation of peoples’ democratic and political rights.
If there is anything that I will thank the Philippine

president for, it is that his regime has started to bring
together the different democratic forces from theleft in the Philippines (never happened almost 20
years ago) of what we hope would be a continuing
advance towards consolidation of our forces if weare to oust this repressive regime. We have noalternative but to unite in our resistance.
Most countries in Asia are governed bydictatorial and fascist regimes, their consolidationof power thru term extensions, no election, martial
law, constitutional amendments. Summary killingsin the guise of eliminating drug addiction looms
dangerously before us. We must stop it.
Against the backdrop of fascist and dictatorial
regimes, the continuing advance of our campaign
for the elimination of nuclear weapons and foreign
military bases face tremendous challenge with thenarrowing democratic space necessary to advanceour cause and to protect our lives at any cost. It istherefore our task to not only approach our
advocacy on a narrow angle. We must find ways toaddress our issues comprehensively, creatively,
inclusively as there is indeed a convergence of ourissues so that forging solidarities with othermovements is possible to broaden our critical mass.
At this point, I would like to express ourcontinuing solidarity with people of Okinawa,
during this critical period in their struggle. We callfor your support to help stop Henoko construction
as Governor Onaga retracted approval for landfill tocomplete the base. The Okinawan people--of all
generations--have stood steadily and mightily
against "Goliath" that is the US and Japanese
governments. We call on everyone here for yourpresence in this struggle, especially our friends
from the United States and here in mainland Japan,
to PLEASE FLOOD THE LINES OF YOURCONGRESS PEOPLE and ask organizations to
support the governor and Okinawan people! And
we also ask for your prayers for Governor Onaga
for his healing and recovery so that he can continue
to provide the significant leadership and to live thru
the day to see Okinawa peaceful and bases free.
We express our support to friends who continue
to suffer the impact of disasters and calamities inour country especially in Mindanao and here in
Hiroshima, Kansai Area and Fukushima. We knowthat life has not been easy but yet you continue tobe part of the movement for change, for safe
environment, for justice, peace, and freedom andfor the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Friends – These times are hard, but they willpass . . . history has told us so . . . we must remain
hopeful and courageous . . . Just as our friends who
have passed on over the years . . . Honoring them atthis moment with gratitude in our hearts andremembering most vividly their powerful voice44

“NEVER AGAIN!”. . . Senji Yamaguchi, Sumiteru
Taniguchi, Nelson Anjain and many others, . . . Let
us not forget.
We know that there are work to do, lessons tolearn and unlearn. I am afraid I don’t have any newrecommendations to make. We have to go back tothe basics . . . information dissemination, analysis,
strategize, lobbying different sectors andstakeholders, maximizing media, providing
platforms for enriching the voice of themarginalized, building a critical mass that would
ensure readiness when our struggles are at its
tipping point. There is no hard and fast rule that
could guide us except for our willingness to learn
from history and the good heart and mind to follow
our dreams. Our dreams define us . . . it our life
Let me close with a quote from Clarissa Pinkola
Estes:“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world
all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of
the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm
thing that one soul can do to help another soul, toassist some portion of this poor suffering world, will
help immensely. It is not given to us to know whichacts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip
toward an enduring good. What is needed for
dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding,adding to, adding more, continuing. We know thatit does not take everyone on Earth to bring justiceand peace, but only a small, determined group who
will not give up during the first, second, or
hundredth gale.”(http://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=548)
In that spirit, I wish to thank the international
relay peace marchers this year from the UnitedStates, France, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Korea,
Japan and the Philippines, your presence hopefully
have provided encouragement especially to young
people like you – you have made the 60th year of
the Peace March more meaningful. I wish to call on
the young people present in this hall to listen to thesigns of the times. And respond by giving your time,
talent and treasure to pursue a world that is peaceful,just and secure. So many words will be said, andlinkages and networks formed and pursued. For
many of us in my generation, we value and treasure
the presence and commitment of the young people.
You are the precious sector that will move us
forward. So I hope this is the beginning if not thecontinuity of the important work that you havechosen, as my generation have decided to embracein our youth, decades ago. And I assure you, there
is no place better than this struggle. Thank you. We
shall overcome!

Yamamoto Takashi
General Secretary, All Okinawa Coalition
Against New Construction of Henoko Base
Struggle of Okinawan Peopleʁ
ʁOpposing US
Bases in pursuit of “Democracy and Peace”
Guaranteed by the Japanese Constitution
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about
the anti-US base struggle in Okinawa despite thetight time schedule of the meeting.
Today, about 18% of the land area of Okinawa
Island is occupied by US military bases. Okinawa
Prefecture accounts for only 0.6% of Japan’s total
land area, but it is forced to host about 70% of theentire US military facilities stationed in Japan.
These facilities are under the exclusive
management of the US troops. And now, the US istrying to build a new offshore base in Henoko, NagoCity.
I am going to talk about reasons why
Okinawans have been so tenaciously resisting the
US military presence imposed by both Japanese andUS governments. In my opinion, there are in fact
three major reasons.
First, none of the Okinawan people agreed to theconstruction of any US bases in the prefecture.
Before the Battle of Okinawa 72 years ago, theJapanese Army did not have any major base in
Okinawa. In 1944, in preparation for the Battle,
Japanese troops hastily built 15 airfields there. It isclear that their construction was not enforced
through what we would call today a “reasonable anddemocratic” process.
As soon as they disembarked on Okinawa in
April 1945, the US troops began building theirbases by confiscating and expanding the airfields
and other facilities formerly used by Japanese
troops. After the Battle of Okinawa had ended, thesurviving local people were confined in cramped
POW concentration camps while their lands weretaken by the US forces, as if the United States had
the right to arbitrarily draw borders on a blank map.
By signing a Peace Treaty on April 28, 1952 in
San Francisco, Japan recovered its sovereignty inexchange for abandoning Okinawa under Article 3.
Later, many US bases that had been located on theJapanese mainland were concentrated into Okinawa.
Most of the US marine bases, accounting for 60%of the current US bases in Okinawa, were built inthat period. US troops used “bayonets andbulldozers” to deprive local people of their lands
and repeatedly plundered their properties. Anotherbase extension took place in the 1960s during theescalation of the Vietnam War. All the current US
bases in Okinawa were built during these four45

periods. During that time, Okinawa was placed
under the occupation of the US military, whichallowed the US to plunder local people’s private
lands with violence, without going through due
procedure for the construction of bases.
On May 15, 1972, Okinawa was returned toJapan and began to be governed under the JapaneseConstitution, in particular Article 9. Naturally, thelocal people’s lands, which had been robbed with
unlawful violent means under US militaryoccupation to be used for US facilities, should havebeen returned to them unconditionally, but this did
not happen. Even now, 46 years since the reversion
of Okinawa to Japan, these lands are kept by the US
military.
However, no new base has been built so far
since the Japanese Constitution took effect inOkinawa. The Henoko base would be the first baseto be built through official procedures under Article 9.
Second is the fallacy that the Henoko basewould replace the Futemma Base, contributing to
the removal of risks related to the latter base andleading to its closure.
The Futemma Base is located right in the centerof a densely-populated area. Many private houses
are located just next to the base across a thin fence.
In the past, a US Defense Secretary visited thisaberrant base, saw it from the sky and said that it
was the most dangerous airfield in the world.
Okinawa hosts 60% of all US marines deployedin Japan. Marines cannot conduct any operation
unless they are deployed with naval forces. There ishowever no large-scale naval base in Okinawa. The
two major US naval bases in Japan are located in
Yokosuka (Kanagawa Prefecture) and in Sasebo(Nagasaki Prefecture). Okinawa is an island
surrounded by coral reefs, and therefore does nothave any coast where large ships can dock. There is,however, one place on the coast where the water ismore than 50-meters deep. That is Oura Bay,located just next to Henoko.
The construction of the new Henoko Base forMarines and a naval port at Oura Bay was planned
50 years ago in 1966. The original plan met with asetback for some reason, but it has been revived
now. However, a former Japanese Defense Minister
has acknowledged that even if the new base is built
at Henoko, the Futemma base would not be returned
to Japan unconditionally.
Third, the land reclamation work and theconstruction of the Henoko new base can never becompleted even if massive amounts of Japanese
taxpayers’ money is poured into them.
First, this is because Henoko and its
surroundings, as well as Oura Bay, are host togroups of sub-tropical plants and rare species ofanimals. Many dugongs, which are internationallyprotected animals, as well as endangered coral
species live there. There is an ongoing campaign toregister the natural environment of these areas,
including the Amami Area, on UNESCO’s World’s
Natural Heritage List. Many experts point out that
landfill work necessary for the base construction
would destroy this precious nature and ecosystem.
There are two active faults near the area where
the runway is planned to be built. It is feared that amajor earthquake would have catastrophic
consequences. In addition, it is reported that the
ground near the same area has a layer lying 40meters deep that is as soft as mayonnaise with “zeroN value”. This makes the reclamation work at the
Oura Bay impossible. If the construction should becompleted, it would require large-scale soil
improvement work, which is not initially planned.
The soil improvement work alone would cost sometrillion yen.
The runway safety standard set by the Pentagon
requires a height limitation of about 55 meters forbuildings within a radius of 2 kilometers from therunway. The planned runway is located in the least
elevated reclaimed area, while residential areas like
Toyohara District are situated on a nearby hill. The
National Technical College, Kube Elementary andMiddle Schools, a post office, as well as privatehouses with two stories or more all conflict with thesafety standard. From the beginning, any runway,
civilian or military alike, built on the coast of
Henoko, would be extremely dangerous. It is time
to call off the Henoko new base construction plan
once and for all.
Okinawa Prefectural incumbent Governor
Onaga was elected to his post 4 years ago, publicly
promising that he would oppose the new Henoko
Base and fight for the closure of Futemma Base andcancellation of Osprey deployment. He has foughtside by side with the people of his prefecture. The
Japanese Defense Ministry has notified theprefecture that it will start reclamation on August
17, dumping soil in the Henoko area. Governor
Onaga has declared that he will take administrative
action to cancel the authorization for the landfill
given by the former governor. If this happens, we
anticipate there will be another court battle against
the Japanese government.
We plan to hold an Okinawa prefectural
people’s rally on August 11 in Naha City
demanding that they “stop the landfill operation andscrap the Henoko new base plan.”
We will do our utmost to develop the allOkinawa movement to establish “local autonomy,
democracy and peace” guaranteed by theConstitution. I hope that you will continue to give
us support and solidarity both at national andinternational levels.

46

children.
In my Confederation, young members havebeen activated through the 30-million signature
campaign. Some of those who participated in theunion’s study tour to Okinawa felt that they“learned in Okinawa that the war was not reallyover”, and that they “had to learn a lot more”. In
reviewing the tour, they decided to take up theJapanese Constitution as a “temporary text” to read,and are studying its Preamble and theconstitutionalism.
“Constitution Café” is springing up here andthere, where people discuss questions picked up
from conversations among young people, such as:“What should we do if North Korea invades us?”,or “Will there be any change if Article 9 is revised?”
After learning, tempted to speak publicly what
they learned, young people started actions. Engaged
in the public speech outdoors through microphone,signature collection, or any other form of action for
the first time, they further realized that young
people tend to stop and listen to the speeches when
they spot fellow youngsters as speakers, thus
deepening confidence in their own actions. Besides,
the dialogue-style publicity action, unique to young
people, such as a “mock voting” on the street using
stickers; serves as a fresh stimulant to veteranactivists.
In industries, unionists are talking about therelationship between their jobs and the Constitution.
Port workers, for example, take up in theirconversation the bitter experiences in history.
During the last war, sea ports were turned to logistic
bases and were thus made targets to enemy’s air
raids. Or during the Korean War they had to beengaged in loading and unloading of guns,
ammunitions or even dead bodies at gunpoint of US
military. Port workers unions are now united
regardless of difference in organization oraffiliation in refusing to transport earth and sandused to fill Henoko Bay for the new US Base in
Okinawa. Without peace, neither life nor dailyliving, nor jobs, nor even pride as workers can beprotected. That is why unions are active in peace
movement.
Zenroren will mark the 30th anniversary of theformation in 1989. We are very proud that
Zenroren’s Mission Statement adopted at thefounding Convention upholds our commitment toprevent nuclear war and abolition of nuclear
weapons, and we have been active and committed
to it since then. Let me conclude my speech byassuring you that by building broader unity andsolidarity we will fulfill our mission as a trade union
confederation of this A-bombed country.

Statements:
Nagao Yuri
Vice President, National Confederation ofTrade Unions (Zenroren)
I am Nagao Yuri, Vice President of Zenroren,
the National Confederation of Trade Unions ofJapan. It is now over one year since the Treaty on
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted at
the United Nations. The period of over one year
since then made us time and again confirm the true
value of the TPNW and Article 9 of the JapaneseConstitution to defend peace and security of Japanand the world.
One year ago, under the heightening militarytension between North Korea and the United States,
we could not live another day without wishing thatthe nuclear button would not be pressed due to any
misunderstanding or misinformation, or by accident.
Once used, the consequences of nuclear weapons
will totally be unacceptable regardless of friendly or
enemy forces. The only way to guarantee that
nuclear weapons will never be used again, I believe,
is to abolish nuclear weapons on earth. So, I hopethat the TPNW, which will open the way to it,
should take effect even a day earlier.
Further, given the increasing danger ofcontemporary war going nuclear, it is of utmost
importance to prevent the outbreak of war. I
therefore heartily want all parties in conflict to havedialogues between them. The ROK-DPRK summit
talks took place last April, and the US-DPRK
Summit followed in June. Witnessing the start ofthe peace process through dialogue and diplomacy,
I feel confident that by making use of Article 9 wecan contribute to the settlement of the problem.
The TPNW and Article 9 are our hope to leadJapan and the world to peace. Besides, they embody
Hibakusha’s deep desire. Prime Minister Abe andhis Administration, however, are taking disruptive
attitude to both of them. The international campaign
in support of the Hibakusha Appeal and the 30million signature drive to stop Abe’s attempt torevise Article 9, are the two important signature
campaigns that will put an end to the Abegovernment and bring about a non-nuclear
government that will work for peace. Even at thismoment there are many friends of ours andcolleagues who are engaged in distributing leafletsor showing their signs on the street, or who are
visiting people door-to-door to ask for signatures.
We are determined to do our utmost to attain thetarget of 30-million signatures reflecting the voices
of “No to War”, so as to be able to hand over a world
without nuclear weapons and without war to our47the hands of the Doomsday Clock to two minutes tomidnight, the closest since 1953.
Numerous international polls show strong
support for nuclear disarmament. It is our urgent
task to translate this support into an inexorable
popular movement capable of compelling thenuclear powers to meet their obligation to disarm
under Article VI of the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty (NPT).
Today, our key organizing challenge is toresolve internal differences in order to unite our
movement for the crucial struggle ahead. Ourpriority is to make the public aware that the nuclear
threat is real and escalating. Our best strategy forabolishing nuclear weapons is to link demands for anuclear free world with broader demands to reverse
the unjust social, economic, environmental, andmilitary policies that gave rise to the nuclear
madness.
The annual remembrance of Hiroshima andNagasaki is a time to come together and recommit
ourselves to establish a just peace, oppose
militarism, and abolish nuclear weapons.
Sisters and brothers, as we return to our homes
let us rededicate ourselves to our unfinished work.
Until we rid the world of the scourge of nuclear
weapons and the threat of nuclear catastrophe, ourjob remains unfinished. We solemnly pledge tocontinue to work together in unity until nuclear
weapons are forever abolished.
No More Hiroshima! No More Nagasaki! No
More Hibakusha!
In October of 1982 while protesting the initial
deployment of the USS Ohio, the first Trident
submarine, I wrote the following song I’d like toshare:

John Steinbach
Co-Coordinator
Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Committee of
the National Capital Area
U.S.A.
On behalf of the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace
Committee of the National Capital Area, I bringheartfelt greetings and solidarity to the World
Conference against A and H Bombs. For the past 37
years our committee has worked to abolish nuclear
weapons and nuclear power. We have sent
numerous delegates, including youth delegates, tothe World Conference. In return, we welcomed
Gensuikyo Delegations to the United States. As wework together to establish a nuclear-free future, welook forward to continuing and further
strengthening our grassroots collaboration.
Since 1983 our committee has partnered with
Nihon Hidankyo to bring the testimony of the
Hibakusha to the Washington, DC area. Each
August we welcome a delegation of A-bomb
survivors and organize public events. We support
all radiation survivors. From St. George, Utah to
Semipalatinsk and from Chernobyl to the MarshallIslands, our Committee has welcomed radiation
survivors worldwide.
Looking back over the past seventy-three years,
our movement to abolish nuclear weapons achieved
many victories. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, theworld has not seen the direct use of nuclear weapons.
Since the height of the cold war, the number ofnuclear weapons has been reduced from over
70,000 to approximately 15,000. In 2017, the Treaty
on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was passed
at the United Nations. For these and other victories
the global anti-nuclear movement, especially the
Hibakusha, deserves the credit. Despite this, theworld remains precariously balanced on the knifeedge of nuclear annihilation.
Since the abrogation of the Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty by the U.S. in 2002, NATO
dramatically expanded eastward and destabilizing
anti-missile systems are deployed along Russia’sborder. Meanwhile, the United States, under Obama,
initiated an unprecedented trillion-dollar nuclear
weapons buildup, a program being significantly
expanded under Trump. In response, Russia began
its own, more modest, nuclear buildup. Alarmingly,
this nuclear stand-off is occurring during a time ofextraordinaryinternational
instability
and
precipitously escalating hostilities between the
nuclear powers. Because of this and other global
crises such as climate change and increased
competition for dwindling natural resources, in2018 The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved

A Warning Wakeup CallOur struggle must continue for the job has justbegun.
Our sacred planet now is facing thermonuclear
Annihilation.
Chorus: Hiroshima-Nagasaki were a warning
wake-up call,So, let’s resist the war-makers and to the struggle
give our all.
Making Peace is never easy, for the call to war isstrong.
Peace through strength may be their motto, but anunjust peace is wrong.
Chorus:Nuclear madness death machine makes mockery oflife.
With every breath we take, against it we will fight.

48

Chorus:

the Hibakusha, the victims of the A-bombs inparticular.
Nepal is a peace-loving country, the birth placeof Gautama Buddha, and we have been always at
the forefront to raise our voice for completely
banning the existing ones, which at any time either
by mistake or otherwise, could wipe out thehumanity. Nepal understands the pain of the danger
created by the A and H bombs as we too aresurrounded by nuclear power countries like China,
Pakistan and India. Nepal firmly opposes any typeof war, imperialism, colonialism, terrorism, allkinds of racial discrimination, hegemony andarmaments. Nuclear experts say, there are still over
17000 nuclear warheads and 4300 of them in a
deployed status, around the world. Some countriesof nuclear power have not yet signed the CTBT and
NPT. Today also, no one can say the HiroshimaNagasaki terrible crime will not be repeated in any
part of the world.
I would like to take this opportunity to briefly
highlight the present situation of Nepal. Nepal
entered a new era in 2015 after the promulgation of
new constitution passed by the constituent assemblyand Nepal has now become a federal republiccountry, and three tier elections have beensuccessfully held since the new constitution coming
into effect.
It is our pride that KP Sharma Oli, who is theformer Chairman and now Patron of Nepal AAPSO,
is now the Prime Minister of Nepal and Head ofgovernment of two-third majority, after having alandslide victory for his party, NCP, in the lastparliamentary election. We hope Nepal will gain the
support from our friendly countries like Japan in our
pursuit of peace and development.
In the end, I would like to thank Gensuikyo once
more for inviting us to participate in this great
conference. On behalf of Nepal AAPSO, I would
like to assure to Gensuikyo of our constant supportand solidarity in our common goal of freeing the

Fukushima Daiichi - radiation far and wide.
TEPCO Power said no problem, but we all know
they lied.
Chorus:Our work for peace and justice is a job that’s neverdone.
Black, Brown and White we are together for our
struggle it is one.
Chorus:
Our struggle must continue for the job has justbegun.
Our sacred planet now is facing Ecological
Annihilation.
Chorus:Parijat Bhandari
Executive Member, Afro-Asian People’s
Solidarity Organization of Nepal
Make the Earth and Space Free of Nuclear
Bombs
It is my pleasure and privilege to participate in
the 2018 World Conference, representing Nepal
AAPSO. Japan Council against A and H Bombs or
Gensuikyo has been holding such conference every
year to build solidarity among the people of world
for world peace to make this earth free from thecatastrophe of nuclear and hydrogen bombs.
I salute Gensuikyo from the core of my heart forundertaking such an urgent humanitarian task at atime when the earth is replete with thousands times
greater bombs than the ones that were dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 of 1945.
The two devils Atom bombs were titled by the nicknames Little Boy and Fat Man who instantly killedthousands of people and made others terminally ill
because of the effect of those bombs. I would liketo express my sincere respect to the departed souls
and the survivors of the great human-made disasterfor the first time on the earth.
My name is Parijat Bhandari, and currently I am
an executive member of Nepal AAPSO. We in
Nepal too, every year we are launching HiroshimaNagasaki Commemoration Day Program as
national level to pay homage to atomic victims, andto express solidarity with Hibakushas. August 6th
and 9th of 1945 were blackest and fateful days inthe history of human civilization and these days arerecorded as the massacre of humanity. We show oursolidarity with the people of Japan in general and to49

world from A and H bombs.
We have been collecting signatures every year
from the citizens of Nepal in response to the appealof the Hibakushas, and we will continue to do so in
coming years too. Finally, make the earth and space
free of nuclear bombs and save the humanity fromanother human made tragedy.
I wish the conference a grand success.

activities, including political efforts, educational
conferences, and local protests, including one
recently at Hanscom Airbase. That military facility
has been designated a lead role in communications
for the US nuclear arsenal and its planned
expansion. During that peaceful demonstration, I
was among those arrested. I work to educate others
through frequent letters to newspapers and by
convening dialogues with interested groups.
Finally, I serve on the Board of Directors of theCampaign for Peace Disarmament and Common
Security, an organization newly formed by Dr.
Joseph Gerson, to promote global peace anddisarmament.
I would like to share my impressions of thestatus of nuclear disarmament efforts in the UnitedStates, and to say why I believe this conference is
so important. At the outset, I must express my
discouragement at what seems to be a very low levelof understanding about nuclear weapons among the
majority of Americans. Most, I think, believe
nuclear arsenals ended with the “cold war” and havelittle appreciation of the numbers of nuclear
weapons that remain and the danger they represent.
Of those who are aware at all, the majority regard
nuclear weapons as a “necessary evil” that “keepAmerica safe.” So, the immediate challenge is to
educate people about the destructive power of theseweapons and dispel the myth of “nuclear
deterrence.” Practical, but very difficult, steps focus
on re-establishing congressional control overnuclear weapons and abolishing outdated “cold war”
policies that keep missiles on high alert and targeted.
We also need to raise awareness of the incredible
cost of these weapons and how military budgets rob
our society of desperately needed resources. We
especially need to derail the current plan to spend
over a trillion dollars “modernizing” our arsenal.
We need to increase understanding of thehumanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear
arms, remind people of America’s obligations under
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and build
support for US participation in the UN Treaty to
Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.
In closing, I must comment on the current
political environment in the United States whichfurther complicates what was already a difficult
struggle for nuclear disarmament. Those of us whoworried how terrible things might become under aDonald Trump presidency were wrong. It is far
worse than we even imagined. Not in our wildest
dreams did we anticipate the breadth of his attacks
on our political institutions and the norms of oursociety. Nor did we recognize the depths ofcollusion the Republican Party would descend inorder to retain power, nor Mr. Trump’s capacity tosow divisiveness among our people. Although

Jerald Ross
Treasurer, Campaign for Peace,
Disarmament and Common Security
U.S.A.
Hello and respectful greetings to our Japanese
hosts and to all those assembled here from acrossthe globe. My name is Jerry Ross and I come fromthe United States where I live in the State of
Massachusetts, near Boston.
It is a great honor to be here, but also a profoundsorrow. We gather on the 73rd anniversary of theterrible crimes committed by my country in theatomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. No
words of apology can relieve the terrible suffering
caused by these horrendous attacks, butnevertheless, I express my deepest regret to all theJapanese people, to the citizens of those two cities,
and especially to the Hibakusha who have suffered
most tragically of all. But we also meet to continue
the struggle to relieve the world of the scourge of
nuclear weapons, and for our energy anddetermination we must be grateful.
Let me say just a word about who I am and how
I came to be here today. I began my opposition to
US military actions as a conscientious objector
during the Viet Nam War, where after induction I
served two years’ civilian duty. But then for myprofessional career, I worked with mentally ill andhomeless individuals, and only supported peaceactions through contributions to amnesty
international and similar groups, participation in the
nuclear freeze movement, and through informedinterpersonal dialogue. It was only in my retirementthat I have become directly involved in nuclear
disarmament efforts.
I am a member of the Unitarian Universalist
faith and work actively in my church to raiseawareness of this issue and to engage members of
my congregation in peace activities. Unitarian
Universalists (or UU’s) have a permanent office at
the United Nations, and I worked with them tosupport the passage of the UN Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons. I am also amember of Massachusetts Peace Action, throughwhich I have worked on many disarmament

50

American constitutional protections are strong andthere is great resistance among our population,
many of us feel we are in a struggle for the survivalof our country as we have known it.
And so, for all these reasons, that is why thisconference is so valuable. It provides a unique
opportunity to link peace movements across theglobe, to remind us of the terrible consequences of
war and especially of nuclear weapons, and to forge
joint strategies to move beyond this dangerous
period in human history. To remember what
happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki is important.
To prevent it from ever happening again is essential.

trends to overcome evils that have prevailed in the
country for many years, and succeeded in winninga change of government. Civil society, which had
been ignored and even oppressed by successive
conservative governments, is regaining dynamism
little by little. That South Korean society is beingtransformed is proven by two developments inrelation to peace. One is progress in inter-Korean
relations and a move toward establishing a systemof peace for the Korean Peninsula. The other ispeople’s demand for changing the social structurethat causes violence and discrimination.
I think that these two elements represent
substantial changes that have never taken place
previously. The first one stands for the right to livein peace in a world free of war and nuclear weapons.
The latter is related to the global issue of humansecurity, or active and sustainable peace. It is about
the right of everyone to live in peace, free ofviolence and fear, as established as a norm of
universal human rights (stipulated in UN Security
Council Resolution 2282, UN General Assembly
Resolution 70/262, etc.)
The 36 years of colonization and 70 years ofdivision have not only posed dangers due to themilitary confrontation and national security
tensions, but they have also had enormous impacts
on individual lives and social culture. The
prevalence of militarism and a solidly establishedsystem of patriarchy afflicted the lives of Korean
women. The issue of the comfort women, who wereforced to provide sexual service to Japanese army
soldiers, the problem of women in US militarycamp towns, discrimination, violence, hatred, andexclusion of women in South Korean society –these are all linked to the militarism that surged in
the context of war and division.
The inauguration of President Donald Trump’s
administration in the United States was followed bya lot of talk that there might be war in the Korean
Peninsula. But there was a turn of events relating to
the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. After an interKorean summit, North Korea and the United States
held a summit on June 12. North Korea closed its
test site for missile engines and began recoveringand returning the remains of US soldiers missing inaction during the Korean War. It has also stopped
slandering the US. US President Donald Trump has
returned gratitude for North Korea’s action. There
are signs that mutual trust is taking shape between
North Korea and the United States. The relations
between North and South Korea are being restored
faster than the US-North Korean relations. The two
Koreas have agreed to stop slandering each other incompliance with the Panmunjom Declaration and to
hold reunions of families separated by the Korean
War. Exchanges and humanitarian cooperation are

Choi Eun-Soon
Co-Representative
Korean Women's Associations United(KWAU), R.O.K.
Build a System of Peace on the Korean
Peninsula Conducive to Achieving Sustainable
Peace and a World without Nuclear Weapons
Dear friends, I am pleased to meet you. My
name is Choi Eun-soon. I am a co-representative of
Korean Women’s Association United (KWAU).
KWAU was founded in 1987 as a coalition ofprogressive women’s organizations. Its goal is torealize a sustainable society of gender equality,
democracy, well-being, peace, and unification. It
has seven chapters and 28 member organizations. It
has been fighting against discrimination against
women, violence, exclusion, and hatred. In order tolet gender equality guide society, KWAU stages
diverse activities based on a gender-mainstreaming
policy to promote legal and institutional reforms
and spread awareness of equality and peace. In 2017and 2018, we campaigned under the slogans“Gender equality is essential for democracy,” and“Let us call for gender justice to bring substantialchanges to women’s lives” in campaigns including
the following: actions in the presidential election
and the nationwide local elections; in the movement
for gender equality to be constitutionallyestablished; in various actions calling for abortion
to be taken out of the criminal code, for an antidiscrimination law to be enacted, and for genderequality systems to be rebuilt; in relation todeliberations at the UN Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW); and in the #MeToo movement.
As everyone knows, South Korean society has
undergone transformative changes since 2017.
People’s power, which found expression in public
actions, stopped conservative and reactionary51

developing between the North and the South.
Although people’s call for an end of hostility to be
declared on July 27 (the day of armistice) was notmet, it appears that a declaration of the war’s end isa fait accompli. Women’s organizations, including
KWAU, other civil organizations, and a majority of
the South Korean people are supporting the April 27
Panmunjom Declaration. They wish for the full
implementation of the Declaration’s paragraph 3 ofsection 3: “During this year that marks the 65th
anniversary of the Armistice, South and North
Korea agreed to actively pursue trilateral meetings
involving the two Koreas and the United States, or
quadrilateral meetings involving the two Koreas,
the United States and China with a view to declaring
an end to the war and establishing a permanent andsolid peace regime.” We are also joining our forces
to prevent the pledge expressed in paragraph 4 ofsection 3 from being reneged on: “South and North
Korea confirmed the common goal of realising,through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula. …. South and North Korea
agreed to actively seek the support and cooperationof the international community for thedenuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”
Making the Korean Peninsula nuclear free andbuilding a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula isan important issue that has direct bearing on
Northeast Asia and the rest of the world. At a time
when the Korean Peninsula stands at a historicturning point, civil society movements are called
upon to develop international solidarity forachieving peace in Northeast Asia. In this respect, I
want to express my gratitude to the Organizing
Committee for the World Conference against A and
H Bombs.
I can deeply relate to the World Conference,
which is based on the idea of seeking a peaceful andjust world without nuclear weapons and which
upholds three key objectives: the elimination of
nuclear weapons, the prevention of nuclear war, andsupport for the Hibakusha. I would like to express
my deep respect and solidarity to the New Japan
Women’s Association (Shinfujin), the Women’s
Peace Fund, and all those who are involved every
year in the preparation and holding of the World
Conference against A and H Bombs. KWAU and
Women Making Peace participated in the World
Conference in 2005, 2006 and 2007. We havecontinued exchanges with Shinfujin although weneed to do more. I am happy to be able to meet themin this significant assembly.
I hope that this World Conference will provide
civil organizations and movements from various
countries with a place to share experiences anddeepen solidarity and cooperation in the effort torealize a world without nuclear weapons andimprove human rights. On behalf of an organization
working mainly for the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula, I want to learn from what ourfriends around the world are doing and share ouractivities with them.
The Japanese anti-nuclear peace movement isfighting against Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s
government, which argues for the importance of the
US nuclear umbrella under the pretext of the threatof North Korea, refuses to join the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons, and even seeks toabandon the peace Constitution by adversely
amending Article 9 in order to push ahead withJapan’s rearmament. The Japanese movement isalso reaching out to the world’s people in support of
the Hibakusha of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is
speaking for the Hibakusha.
We sympathize with activities staged by theJapanese anti-nuclear movement. I hope South
Korean activists share your experience. Our citizens
are living in the only divided nation in fear of
nuclear weapons and war. I’m sure that they
sympathize with the message of the Hibakusha.
Given the fact that 210,000 Hibakusha includes
70,000 Koreans, the issue of the Hibakusha is an
important issue in Korea as well as in Japan.
Solidarity between South Korea and Japan isexactly what we need. I hope this will provide
people with an opportunity to keenly feel once
again the importance of peace and denuclearizationof the Korean Peninsula. But, if Japan is to berecognized as a responsible member of theinternational community, it should take a hard lookat the fact that the 70,000 Korean Hibakusha are notjust Hibakusha but also victims of conscription
under the colonial rule.
Japan must offer an apology and compensation
to Korean war victims for the cause of universal andactive peace on the global dimension and makeefforts to resolve the issue. Japan must make efforts
to help resolve the issues related to the victims ofnational mobilization carried out by Japaneseimperialism during the period of occupation (which
includes the issue of returning the remains ofvictims, the issue of Koreans in Sakhalin, andKorean Hibakusha). If such efforts are made, theuniversal values of the call of the Japanese antinuclear movement for a world free of nuclear
weapons will be shared more widely and deeply by
Korean citizens. I believe that citizens’ solidarity
between the two countries will be even more active.
Friends, establishing a system of peace in, anddenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula cannot berealized solely by the will of the leaders of the Northand the South. It needs cooperation and support
from the international community. South Korean
citizens and various kinds of actors in various fields

52

should develop exchanges and new cooperation
between North and South and make genuinechanges happen so that sustainable peace becomespart of people’s daily lives.
International solidarity among civil societies isalso important. If trust is built and if the peace
process makes smooth progress toward doing awaywith war threats on the Korean Peninsula, the Abegovernment would no longer be able to use thethreat of North Korea as a pretext for its policy. I
hope that building peace on the Korean Peninsula
paves the way for a world without nuclear weapons.
After the first North Korean nuclear test in 2006,
when the Six-party Talks were under way in 2006
and 2007 for the resolution of North Korea’s
nuclear program issue, KWAU stressed that
achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula needs amore active approach that goes beyond“normalizationofrelationsthroughdenuclearization”. We founded the Northeast
Women’s Conference for Peace with the aim oforganizing solidarity with and support of women in
the countries participating in the Six-party Talks.
KWAU played a central role in four sessions of theconference between 2008 and 2012. The World
Conference against A and H Bombs reminds me of
KWAU’s experience in those days. We would liketo make use of the World Conference to explore theway of solidarity by invoking the imagination of theworld’s women to achieve lasting peace on the
Korean Peninsula and denuclearization of thepeninsula.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity toreport to you that KWAU and its member
organizations announced the women’s peacedeclaration for ending war on the Korean Peninsula.
The declaration set out the following demands:- Declare an end of war on the Korean Peninsula
and adopt a peace agreement;- Make the world, including the Korean
Peninsula, nuclear-free;- Turn the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
into a zone of peace and turn the Northern Limit
Line (NLL) into a zone of peace;- Cut back armaments and increase funding forsocial services and environmental protection fromthe point of human rights;- Guarantee fully inter-Korean people-to-people
exchanges;- Allow women to participate on an equal
footing with men in the negotiating team for thebuilding of peace on the Korean Peninsula in linewith UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which
is about women and security.
- No Women, No Peace!

Let us consider methods for implementing
peace by imagining a word that can fill the blankbelow:

Rabindra Adhikari
National Coordinator
Nepal Peace and Solidarity Council/
World Peace Council
Message of Solidarity and Greetings from theWPC to the World Conference against A&H
bombs in Hiroshima 3rd August 2018
Dear friends and fellow fighters for a world without
nuclear weapons, for a world of peace and social
justice!
We convey on behalf of the WPC our fullhearted solidarity for one more time to the familiesof the victims of the horrible imperialist crime of thebombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the USA
and to the Hibakushas heroes who have survived thenuclear holocaust.
We salute the friends of the Japanese Peace
Committee with which we share the sameaspirations in the Secretariat of the WPC and thecommon struggle for peace in the world, free fromimperialist domination and hegemony.
As World Peace Council we are from the very
first moment of our existence in support of thecomplete abolition of all Nuclear Weapons. Our“Stockholm Appeal” signed then by more than 400
million people, speaks for itself. Today this Appeal
is valid maybe more than ever before!
Dear friends, the world in which we live is going
through tremendous threats for peace and securityof the peoples.
The “Pivot to Asia” policy of the US, forshifting 60 % of their military power to the region
is being further implemented by the new US
President Trump, along with the powerful 7th
Pacific Fleet of the US Navy, the more than 200 US
Military Bases in the region, including Japan andSouth Korea, the bilateral military agreements of
the US, with the upgrade of which even troops will
be deployed in various countries, as its already thecase with tens of thousands of US troops in the53

region. The particular interest of the US and its
allies in the area is about the geostrategical controlof the whole area, its sea routes and natural
resources. But it is also in order to contain theemerging PR China.
The WPC supports all struggles against the US
military presence and maneuvers in the region. In
Okinawa, a struggle involving broad sectors ofsociety is further growing against the constructionof a new US Marine Corp Base in Henoko/Nago
City. The WPC express its solidarity with these
movements in Okinawa and mainland of Japan.
The WPC is following with concern thedevelopments in the South China Sea, particularly
about the territorial disputes between several
neighbouring countries. We support the peacefulsettlement of differences bilaterally andmultilaterally between all involved parties. We callupon all sides to refrain from any unilateral actions
which may further complicate the situation; we
reaffirm our principled position for the respect andimplementation of International law, including the1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS), which guarantees the sovereign
rights of all countries. We are strongly against the
militarization of the area as well as the militarypresence and actions of non-regional powers,
notably the US, which has clearly its own motives
and interests. We demand their withdrawal from theregion and call upon all sides to de-escalate
militarily the situation.
The WPC EC expresses its serious concern
about the growing religious strive andfundamentalism in South Asia which are used todivide the peoples’ struggles.
The situation in and around the Korean
peninsula for the first time after many years bears
hopes for the de-escalation and normalization of therelations between the two Koreas. The WPC saluted
the Inter-Korean talks and summits as they express
the desire of the Korean people for the national
reunification. In regards to the talks between the
DPR of Korea and the USA we welcomed the fact
and underline the need to seek for diplomatic andpeaceful solution without delay, which will lead tothe end of military threats of the USA and its allies,
the dismantlement of the THAAD and thewithdrawal of the US troops from the South of
Korea, along with the complete denuclearization of
the peninsula. The WPC position in favor of theright of the DPR of Korea to defend its sovereignty
and territorial integrity together with its natural
resources proved to be right.
The WPC reaffirms its principle position on theabolition of all Nuclear Weapons and its opposition
to the testing of any nuclear armaments. The Treaty
on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (adopted

July 7. 2017) is a milestone leading towards their
total elimination, the long cherished aspiration of
the Hibakushas and the peoples of the world. The
treaty recognizes that nuclear weapons are
inhumane with catastrophic consequences if everused again, and they counter to the U.N. Charter andInternational law. All states should sign the treaty
on the prohibition of nuclear weapons without delay.
Nevertheless the WPC does not rely on this subject
alone by “sitting and counting” the numbers andstates which have ratified the treaty. We are awarethat meanwhile we have to target the ongoingimperialist crimes and aggression in the world,which are being carried out with heavy andsophisticated weapons, but conventional ones. At
the same time we underline the fact that the USA is
the only country which has used such weapons inhistory. Moreover it does not refrain from a firstnuclear strike option, on the contrary it has
introduced it also to NATO, which has adopted it in
its Warsaw summit in 2016.
It is obvious that in the South-East
Mediterranean region and more broadly in the
Middle East, the competitions for the control ofresources, the transport routes of energy andproducts, and the geostrategic control are increasing.
Such antagonisms occur across the globe, from the
Arctic to SE Asia, from the Caucasus to the Balkans
and Africa. The economic trade war that manifests
itself between the United States of America, the EU,
China and other major powers, is intensifying. The
whole planet looks like a volcano that is currently
showing small explosions but seems to be preparing
bigger and bigger ones as history has shown.
This situation also underlines the duty of thepeople to struggle against interventions andimperialist wars; to develop and strengthen thepeople's movement in a struggle that will turnagainst the causes that create this situation.
The reactionary and imperialist plan for the“New Middle East”, endorsed by the US, NATOand the EU, with their open military intervention
and in cooperation with the reactionary regimes of
the region, has added new suffering on millions ofpeople who fled for their lives to all neighboring
countries. Their aim was and is the control of energy
resources and supply lines and the geostrategicalcontrol of the area with new borders and newcompliant regimes.
The war-mongering and interventionist policyof the great powers, allied with local reactionary
forces, is ever more intense throughout the Middle
East. Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon and
Yemen are targeted by imperialist aggression anddestabilizing interventions. The WPC reiterates its
condemnation of the US and its European allies,
Turkey, Israel and the despotic Gulf monarchies,

54which have supported directly or indirectly,
financed and trained mercenary and religious
extremist groups to attack Syria, at the cost of
millions of lives. The WPC denounces theaggression against the Yemeni people, which is
being fully supported by the USA and demands theend of the siege and the right of the Yemeni people
to decide alone and freely their matters.
A key issue for the whole Middle East remains
the just cause of the Palestinian people for their own
independent State and the end of the Israeli
occupation. We condemn the crimes committed by
the Israeli army against the Palestinian people in theoccupied territories, especially in the Gaza Strip,that has caused a bloodbath, murdering in cold
blood unarmed demonstrators, men, women, andchildren. The provocative decision of the Trumpadministration to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital and to move there the US Embassy, over andagainst the general international outcry, hascompletely fed the aggressiveness of Israel that
continues the illegal occupation of Palestinian
territories and continues massacring the Palestinian
people. We express our solidarity and our support
to the Palestinian people and to its just struggle infavor of its own independent and sovereign
Palestinian state within the pre June 4th 1967
borders, with its capital in East Jerusalem. We
continue our struggle and we call the peoples tostrengthen their demonstrations so that themurderous military intervention of the Israeli Armyin Palestine ceases and to revoke the decision of the
USA to move its Embassy to Jerusalem.
Dear friends, before closing our speech wewould like to draw your attention to one importantinternational initiative which the WPC supports andendorses.
On 16-18 November this year the International
Conference against US and NATO foreign military
Bases will be held in Dublin/Ireland. We consider
the foreign military Bases as instrument of wars andalso of domination towards the “host countries” andits peoples. The people of Japan know too wellabout the role of the foreign military Bases. We callupon all peace loving organisations to support andparticipate in this international conference.

Reference Paper:
Donald Mellman
International Physicians for thePrevention of Nuclear War/ University of
the Middle East Project, U.S.A.
I am honored to be here today as arepresentative of two separate organizations, eachwith an important role to play as we strive to makethe world free of nuclear arms.
However, first I want to say, how personallysatisfying it is to be in Japan. In today’s world with
its uncertainty and concern for the politicalleadership, which is too often paranoic andnarcissistic with an emotional and politicalintelligences that are prone to poor judgement,
vigilance is required. Japan has always been abastion of the culture of a rights-based order and theworth of respect. Japan was the site of the horrific
events of August 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
which we now remember, and the home of the
Hibakusha, whom we now honor. Japan is now
important in North Asian economic security and is
one of the few remaining examples of the postWorld War II order, which brought progress andprosperity to millions.
I bring you greetings from the Secretariat of theInternational Physicians for the Prevention of
Nuclear War. IPPNW is a non-partisan, global
federation of independent chapters from sixty-two
countries, including Japan, as represented by
Japanese Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear
War, headquartered as part of the Hiroshima
Prefecture Medical Association. IPPNW’s current
co-presidents are from Australia, India, Nigeria, andthe United States.
IPPNW was started by a group of Harvardbased physicians and prominent Soviet Union
physicians in 1982, all concerned about thehumanitarian consequences that would result fromthe use of nuclear weapons.
IPPNW was awarded the UNESCO Peace
Education Prize in 1984 and has been the recipientof the Nobel Peace Prize twice: in 1985 as anindependent organization and again in 2017, as partof ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish
Nuclear Weapons, a coalition of non-governmentalorganizations in one hundred countries promoting
adherence to and implementation of the United
Nations Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons, adopted in New York in July 2017.
Physicians treated, and continue to treat, thevictims of the 1945 nuclear catastrophe and spreadthe lesson that we must not let these horrificweapons be used again. Physicians are now

55educating the public on the less well-known
catastrophic consequences of nuclear war beyond
the horror of death and destruction caused by
nuclear blast, firestorms, and intense radiation. It is
now known that even a limited nuclear exchange,such as between India and Pakistan, would cause
enough of a dust cloud worldwide to harm crops
throughout the globe for twenty years, leading toenormous crop loss, widespread famine, and severe
loss of life – threatening two billion people withdeath. A full-scale nuclear war would increase thesize of the dust clouds to cause global climate
cooling such that human life and that of many otherspecies would be threatened with extinction.
The second organization which I am honored torepresent is the University of the Middle East, an
NPO, founded in 1997, based in Boston,
Massachusetts in the US. UME is focused on the
training of educators from the Middle East andNorth Africa region as well as the United States inthe vital peacebuilding skills of conflict
management and mediation. Its annual Oleander
Initiative, named for the first flowers that bloomedin the irradiated areas, is represented here today.
Education will influence on the next generation andmeaningful change be made through politicallyintelligent methods.
Our fight to rid the world of nuclear weapons
must be politically smart. IPPNW and UME arehere to help us be politically intelligent as we move
forward in our noble intent.
Yes, I am “speaking to the choir,” but what achoir we must be. As Edmund Burke said,“When bad men combine, the good must associate;else they will fall one by one, ... All that isnecessary for the triumph of evil is that good men
do nothing.’’ We are “the good;” those with nuclear
weapons, are “the bad.” We must continue “thegood fight” with political skills of the highest order,
but also with passion and determination. We mustnever give up hope. We will win; we must win; orlife on earth as we know it, with the next use of
nuclear weapons, will forever change.
IPPNW’s mantra is central to our mission:“Nuclear war can never be won and must never befought.”56

Humanity and the inhumane nature of nuclear
weapons. They have collected the testimony of 500
Hibakusha and are adding new members.
6. Mr. Mizuno Tokie, Hiroshima Hibakushafrom Aichi talked about her experience in thebombing & being rescued by a neighbor. She
reported that there are about 2,000 Hibakusha
living in Aiichi organized into 7 blocks comprising
Aichi Hidankyo. The Hibakusha are getting old andshe became the Aichi Hidankyo President. A
Second Generation Hibakusha Association has
been formed to help parents spread the message.
They have supported Hibakusha’s successful classaction lawsuit. She reported about a photo
exhibition to educate children.
7. Mr. Furuta Mitsue, a second generation
Hibakusha of Hiroshima talked about a national
forum of the second generation Hibakusha held in
Kyoto in 2017. The forum provided place forsharing information, researches on health effects,
questions of the 2-km limit, their own healthrecords, works with children from Chernobyl and
Fukushima. Hibakusha of Hiroshima also educate
school children.
8. Mr. John Steinbach, Hiroshima Nagasaki
Peace Committee of the National Capital Area,
USA, talked about the Committee’s work with
Nihon Hidankyo for the past 35 years and called on
the gathering to support Hibakusha and theirchildren.
9. Mr. Oya Masato, Nagasaki Gensuikyo &Nagasaki Citizen’s Association to Promote
Hibakusha Signature Campaign talked about the 5
Nagasaki organizations organized to support the
Signature Campaign. They are working ontranslating Mr. Taniguchi Sumiteru’s final video
message into all the world’s languages; the latest
are Portuguese and Tamil.
10. Mr. Sakuma Kunihiko of Hiroshima
Hidankyo talked about the Signature Campaign.
Seven Hibakusha organizations in Hiroshimacooperated under the unifying theme of “abolitionof nuclear weapons.” He pointed out that media
involvement is critical to successful campaigns. Asof May, they have collected 412,600 signatures. He
became active after retirement.
11. Mr. Ohmura Yoshinori reported that Aichi
Hidankyo conducted a survey on the second
generation Hibakusha. Results were added to anational survey summary. 183 responses wereobtained but only 6 were willing to testify. He told
his own story as a second generation Hibakusha.
12. Ms. Imura Hiroko, Hyogo Gensuikyo,
reported Hyogo Hidankyo played a central role in
the Nuclear-Free Hyogo Campaign. Only 5 of 47
Prefectures are not nuclear free. There was a
successful Signature Campaign. Effort for

Closing Session (August 4)
Reports from Workshops:
Workshop I: Damage and Sufferingfrom A-Bombings in Hiroshima &Nagasaki; Inhuman Nature of Nuclear
Weapons; Struggle of the Hibakusha
John Steinbach
Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Committee of
the National Capital Area, U.S.A.
The workshop was called to order by the First
Chair, Ms. Yamada Hiroko. The Second, Third andFourth Chairs, Mr. Suresh Paudyal, Ms. Yamamoto
Noriko and Mr. John Steinbach introduced
themselves. Ms. Yamada welcomed theparticipants and called for an “interactive
discussion.”
Following “housekeeping instructions” fromMs. Yamada, there were 15 presentations made by
14 individuals. Following is a brief summary of
their remarks.
1. Mr.
Maruyama
Minoru,NaganoGensuikyo, called for support for the Hibakusha
Appeal initiated by Nihon Hidankyo. He called on
the workshop to “respect Hibakusha leadership”.
He informed us that Mr. Fujimori is the Nagano
Hibakusha leader. He informed the workshop that
Gensuikyo and Gensuikin cooperate together insupport of the Hibakusha Appeal.
2. Mr. Katano Kenji, Kanagawa Gensuikyo
focused his remarks on building the Peace March,with 20 organizations cooperating from May 7 - 13.
Over 150 Hibakusha attended. The march was“People Friendly.” Some Hibakusha were in their90s. Over 10,000 visited a ten-day A-Bomb exhibit.
3. Ms. Isobe Noriko, Shizuoka Associationof Second Generation Hibakusha spoke about
helping their mothers and fathers run the local
Hibakusha association. They requested Shizuoka
Prefectural government for better health evaluationof Hibakusha. The Hibakusha are getting older andsicker. They are working on getting a health bookfor second generation Hibakusha.
4. Mr. Yokoe Hideki, Aichi Gensuikyo,
talked about building the connections between the
US military bases and support for Hibakusha. He
pointed out the US Airforce and the JDF carry out
joint military exercises using the F-35B, a nuclear
capable warplane. He pointed out that a nuclear
attack against DPRK from US bases is possible.
5. Ms. Watanabe Keiko, New Japan
Women’s Association of Kanagawa, talked about57

cooperation between Gensuikyo and Gensuikin has
yet to borne fruit.
13. Dr. Saito Osamu reported that the classaction medical lawsuits to obtain justice for
Hibakusha continue. Despite many successes, it ishard to prove causality between the A-Bomb andspecific cancer and that epidemiological studies arenecessary. He talked about his 37 years at a
Hiroshima Hospital and the past 9 in Fukushima.
It’s hard to prove hereditary effects of radiation but
any genetic effects will affect Hibakusha in later
years.
14. Ms. Hara Reiko, Hidankyo Consultant,works with Hidankyo to give advises andconsultation to Hibakusha. The average age of
Hibakusha now exceeds 82 and over 10,000 died in
the past year. She’s concerned that it is harder for
Hibakusha to be active in the movement.
15. Mr. Shoichi Ohya made a second
presentation about organizing a photo exhibit. He
researched the identity of a boy in an A-Bombphoto and informed his siblings. Analyzing anotherphoto, he determined the Nagasaki mushroom
cloud was 4,400 meters high. He wants to reach out
and record more Hibakusha testimony.

North Korea look at America. The fact remains that
the United States has a moral responsibility to act.
But unfortunately this is not taking place. After the
nuclear weapons ban treaty, new disarmament
politics have come into front. The workshop
participants confirmed that we have to teach theyoung pupils about the treaty.
The following are a brief summary ofcomments from the floor.
From Japanese activists on the movement in the Abombed country:- The adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons inspired many citizens of
Kanagawa Prefecture, giving them a renewed
conviction that the elimination of nuclear weapons
is possible. We see positive changes in the attitudeof municipalities. 32 of the 34 municipal heads inthe prefecture, including the governor, have signed
the Hibakusha Appeal. Indeed, the change that has
taken place in the past 18 months is immense. In
order to press the Japanese government to change
its attitude, and to have the Prohibition Treaty toenter into force, we need to make a big leap in theinternational signature campaign in support of the
Hibakusha Appeal.
- The Hyogo Prefectural Federation of A-bomb
Suffers’ Organizations produced a poster carrying
the message of 15 municipal heads including thegovernor and Kobe City mayor with their facephotos, which reads: “I support the Hibakusha
Appeal. Please sign.” The governor is known to bea faithful supporter of Prime Minister Abe’s
policies and had refused to sign the Hibakusha
Appeal until last year. Three factors: the adoptionof the Prohibition Treaty, the proposal for anuclear-free world made by his opponent during
the gubernatorial election last summer, andHibakusha’s unrelenting fight influenced thegovernor to change his attitude. The change issignificant.
- The Prohibition Treaty adopted last year
legally determined that nuclear weapons are an
absolute evil. The key to defeat the “nuclear
deterrence” doctrine and the starting point of the
movement is the facts about the damage caused by
the atomic bombs. I want the overseas delegates,
particularly the young participants to visit theHiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
- Whether or not we can defeat the “nuclear
deterrence” doctrine depends on our ability to reachout to as many people as possible to tell them about
what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki andabout the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons. In
Yamanashi Prefecture, Peace March Organizing
Committee hosted the “A-bomb Pictures”
exhibition. They displayed 63 paintings produced

Workshop II: Prohibition andElimination of Nuclear Weapons; Role ofPeace Movements and Civil Society;
Promotion of the Treaty on Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons; Overcoming
Nuclear Deterrence Doctrine
Khum Prasad Sharma
Global Network Against Weapons andPower in Space - Nepal andSaito Shunichi
Association for a Non-Nuclear
Government, JapanFirst of all, I would like to thank all theparticipants of the workshop for their wonderfuldeliberations on different titles related to the topic
assigned. I would also like to thank the chairpersongroup for providing me an opportunity tosummarize the basics of the session. The workshop
was really successful in the sense 17 participants
spoke and more than 60 participants exchanged
their ideas on nuclear free society.
According to the speakers, the present situationon the nuclear front is alarming. No country is
prepared to back track and everyone looks at theother. Pakistan looks at India, India looks at China.
Nepal looks at India and China. Russia, China and58

by 63 students of Hiroshima Motomachi HighSchool who depicted the damage and theexperience of the Hibakusha in pictures after
hearing their stories. The exhibition drew 400
people in two days: July 8 and 9. It was covered bya local TV station and newspaper.

must not be provided in exchange for militarybuildup. This means that a productive life cannot
be founded on war. We also shared the recognition
that spreading common concerns and truths isessential for solving problems.
A participant representing “All Okinawa” said,“There cannot be peace without people’s selfsupporting life.” Four years ago, in Okinawa’s
gubernatorial election, supporters of candidate
ONAGA Takeshi campaigned in opposition to theformer governor’s acceptance of new US militarybase construction at the Henoko district of Nago
City, calling for no more bases in Okinawa. They
showed an estimate that if the US base sites werereturned, Okinawa would secure revenue several
times more than the government subsidies granted
in exchange for accepting the US bases. Theirestimates for the future helped Onaga’s election.
Okinawa is located in the center of East Asia and isserving as economic hub. It’s very important topromote economic development in Okinawa.
A labor union activist from the United States
said ending war will help end poverty. She said
money is taken out of the education system, making
it difficult for young people to be equipped with theability to do jobs. Going to college is so costly that
one may opt to join the military.
A delegate from Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi
Prefecture, spoke about problems of the US Marine
Corps Air Station Iwakuni, which has been
dramatically strengthened. The base area has beenenlarged by 40 percent. Two runways are in placeenabling landing and a takeoff can happen at thesame time. A 30,000-ton ship can come alongside
the berth. More than 120 US military aircraft are
deployed to the air station. F35B nuclear-capable
fighters are deployed to the base. The Iwakuni
delegate said that the mayor assured the citizens
that the government subsidies would be used tomake school lunch free, provide free medical
services for children up to junior high school
students, and to make the city the Japan’s best
municipality to help in raising children. At ameeting the city held to explain its policy, a parent
spoke to welcome the policy of making school
lunch free. The delegate said in anger and sorrowthat she had to point out, “Everyone should knowwhat the US Iwakuni base has done and that
innocent women and children have been killed by
US servicemen before expressing satisfaction withthe free school lunch.”
In the concluding remarks, Kawamura Reiko,another co-chair of Workshop III, said, “The global
questions facing us are inter-related, and thatsolidarity is a source of strength to pave the way for
their solution.”

From Oversea Delegates:- The adoption of the Prohibition Treaty at the
UN Conference was possible because of thepersistent effort of the Hibakusha, who kept callingon the UN to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons. It
is the victory of the citizen’s mobilization. We
should not overestimate or underestimate the treaty.
The important thing is to increase public opinion in
support of the abolition. (France)- We know we have been doing the right thing.
Sometimes it seems to be no end, no victory to ourstruggles, but in Henoko, Okinawa, people
continue to fight. The construction of a new basehas started but people never give up. Never forget,
Never give up. In solidarity, being connected, let us
fight on. (The Philippines)

Workshop III: Solidarity & Cooperationof Movements against Nuclear Weapons
with Other Movements for: PeacefulSettlement of Conflicts; Eradication ofRadiation Damage; Zero Nuclear Power
Plants; Environment; Development;
Overcoming Poverty & Social Gap andPeople’s Living
Matsushige Miwa
Vice-President, Japan Federation ofPrefectural and Municipal Workers'
Unions (JICHIROREN)
In Workshop III participants discussed thetheme: “Solidarity & Cooperation of Movements
against Nuclear Weapons with Other Movements
for: Peaceful Settlement of Conflicts; Eradicationof Radiation Damage; Zero Nuclear Power Plants;
Environment; Development; Overcoming Poverty& Social Gaps and People’s Living”. As the theme
was all-inclusive, we were worried about theoutcome of the discussion. But, thanks toparticipants’ active contribution, the meeting wasvery significant.
I think the participants shared the common
recognition that issues begin with the real state ofpeople’s livelihood. The common recognition wasthat any government should prioritize policies that
ensure a decent life for all people. Such policies
59

Opening Plenary
2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs-Hiroshima(August 4)

while at the same time working hard day after day
in sweltering conditions to help the disaster-hit
people and rebuild the infrastructure.
Friends, the International Meeting of the World
Conference against A & H Bombs unanimously
adopted the Declaration, the copies of which havebeen delivered to you. I hope this document will be
used as the keynote of your discussions that start
today. I will take this opportunity to explain about
the Declaration. Please take a look at the text.
The Declaration begins by stating that the US
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 73
years ago marked the first-ever use of nuclear
weapons against humanity and that these two bombs
caused an inferno in the two cities.
The tremendous energy released by the atomic
bombs when they detonated caused heat rays, a blastand radiation which assaulted the city and the livesof the people there.
Buildings on streets as well as houses wereentirely destroyed by fire, and people wereannihilated. Even those who barely escaped instantKeynote Address on Behalf of theOrganizer:
Tomida Koji
Drafting Committee Chairperson of theInternational Meeting
Allow me on behalf of the Organizing
Committee of the World Conference against A & H
Bombs to deliver the Organizer’s report, which also
touches on the International Meeting.
I would first like to offer my condolences for
those who died in the rain disaster that hit a wide
area of western Japan, including Hiroshima,
Okayama and Ehime, from July 5 to 8. I also would
like to extend my sympathy on behalf of the World
Conference against A & H Bombs to all those who
are forced to endure poor living conditions at
shelters. As stated in the Declaration of theInternational Meeting, our friends in Hiroshima
have determinedly dedicated their energies topreparing the holding of this World Conference
60death, began to die one after another due to serious
burns or acute radiation damage. About 140,000
people died of the atomic bombings by the end of
the year in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.
Those hibakusha who barely survived theradioactive inferno have suffered from leukemia,
cancers and other delayed effects of radioactive
illnesses. Today, 73 years after the atomic
bombings, the health of many hibakusha continues
to be undermined by various illnesses like cancer
and liver disorder. Their lives are constantly
threatened.
Diseases are not the only cause of the
hibakushas’ emotional suffering. Many of them
have had to endure emotional wounds left by theirextremely tragic experience. They even have asense of guilt for failing to save their family
members or friends. They were the victims ofinsensitive discrimination by society. They havebeen forced to endure poverty and loneliness inconnection with their illnesses and emotionalsuffering. The lives and livelihoods, the physicaland mental health of the hundreds of thousands ofhibakusha were constantly tormented.
The damage and aftereffects of the atomic
bombings tell us that the use of nuclear weapons
should be described as the worst crime against
humanity. Nuclear weapons are threatening thesurvival of humanity. I would like to reiterate mystrong call on the world for action to get nuclear
weapons to be completely eliminated as swiftly as
possible.
Dear World Conference participants, the Treaty
on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons adopted at
the UN Conference marked a historic step toward aworld free of nuclear weapons.
The Declaration of the International Meeting saysthat contention is growing sharper between theforces promoting the Treaty and the opponents.
The nuclear weapon states are denouncing theTreaty by arguing that “nuclear deterrence” isindispensable for the security of the world. They atthe same time are continuing to modernize their
nuclear arsenals and strengthening their first use
policy. However, as the Declaration severely points
out, what might be described as a resurging USRussian nuclear arms race, is testimony to thedanger that the so-called nuclear deterrence will
make the world more dangerous instead of making
the world secure.
The Declaration forcefully points out that thecurrent calling for the complete elimination of
nuclear weapons is growing as the mainstream ofworld opinion.
I would say this represents an
unshakable trend. The Declaration also says thatthe trend for the total elimination of nuclear
weapons, however, is steadily growing as amainstream in the world. Nothing can prevent the
TPNW from entering into force. The foundations of
the backward current of nuclear weapons
possessing countries and other pro-nuclear weapon
countries are vulnerable and do not provide
prospects for a bright future. Given that the doctrineof nuclear deterrence is premised on the possible
use of nuclear weapons and that it would bringabout irreparable damage to human beings, theargument that nuclear weapons are necessary fornational security is becoming less and lesspersuasive and is, in fact, failing.
Friends, the key to advancing to “a world
without nuclear weapons” of course is the further
development of public support and the people’s
movement. The Declaration is right when it saysthat if we build further on such cooperation between
civil society and governments that led to theadoption of the TPNW, we can make headway byovercoming various obstacles. It goes without
saying that the development of public awarenessand the people’s movement is very important incountries that rely on the nuclear umbrella. We
should have confidence in this direction and makepowerful strides.
Friends, the inter-Korean summit and thesubsequent US-DPRK summit have paved the way
for a historic move toward the denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula and the creation of a peace
regime in the region. With the hostility since the
Korean War coming to an end, if Northeast Asia
becomes the base for launching messages for peaceand denuclearization, it will have a positive impact
on the situation in Asia and the rest of the world.
The World Conference against A & H Bombs,
which has consistently called for a peacefulresolution of the region’s crises sincerely welcomes
this historic move.
As the Declaration correctly points out, theseries of positive developments can be seen against
a background of increasing trend in public opinion
against nuclear weapons and for peace in many
countries. I must say that clearly, the fundamental
power that helps this process become successful liesin public opinion.
The World Conference against A & H Bombs
urges countries of the world to negotiate in earnest
toward achieving the goals and to implement theagreement.
Friends, creation or reinforcement of nuclear
weapon-free zones and an early entry into force of
the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty(CTBT) are also important tasks to be achieved. The
Declaration points out that the convening of aninternational conference for the establishment of azone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction in the Middle East is an urgent task.

61

Although the US Trump administration has
withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, we hold fast
to the demand for a diplomatic resolution of thedifferences.
It is important to call for a solution to thePalestinian issue based on the right to selfdetermination and justice. We call for an end to theuse of force and military intervention in Syria andintensified diplomatic efforts to help achieve thesettlement of the civil war through political
dialogue.
Friends, the World Conference against A & H
Bombs strongly calls for all regional disputes to beresolved diplomatically and peacefully throughdialogue.
The Declaration expressed the International
Meeting’s solidarity with the movement calling fora nuclear weapon-free and peaceful Japan. The
Declaration correctly points out that in no time in
the past has the Japanese government been called on
to do its part as the government of the only atomicbombed country (so much as it is now). But the
government is firmly opposed to the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons, making people
more disappointed and drawing criticism. The
Japanese government should immediately sign andratify the Treaty.
Friends, it goes without saying that at issue isJapan’s heavy reliance on the US nuclear umbrella
and nuclear deterrence. The government must stoppushing ahead with the strengthening of US militarybases in Japan on the pretext of the threat of North
Korea. We are in firm solidarity with Okinawans inurging the government to immediately cancel theplan to construct a new US base in the Henoko
district of Nago City, which tramples on the dignityof Okinawans. As the Declaration points out
diplomacy guided by Article 9 of the Constitution,
which declares the renunciation of war and war
potential, is the right way to join the current forpeace in Asia and the rest of the world.
Friends, let us renew our determination toadvance the Japanese movement powerfully inresponse to the solidarity extended by the
Declaration.
The key to winning the further development ofpublic awareness and the movement is to expose theinhuman nature of nuclear weapons. It is
increasingly important for the civil society
movement led by hibakusha to work along withyoung people to make the damage and after-effectsof the atomic bombings known widely and toemphasize the urgency of the complete eliminationof nuclear weapons. It is important more than everto further develop joint action between the civilsociety movement and national governments.
Friends, as the Declaration emphasizes, let us

develop a grand movement that will pave the way
for a world free of nuclear weapons byoverpowering the resistance put up by the forcesclinging to nuclear weapons. Let us build up public
opinion and the movement to help the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons go into effect at theearliest possible time.
The next NPT Review Conference is slated for2020. Let us continue to urge the Five Nuclear
Powers to implement the existing agreements andfulfill their obligations provided by the NPT.
Following PyeongChang, the Olympic Games willtake place in Asia in succession (Tokyo 2020 insummer and Beijing 2022 in winter). Let us use
these opportunities to build a peace regime in North
East Asia, as well as a nuclear weapon-free Korean
Peninsula, to make this region a foundation forsending out messages for a peaceful world free of
nuclear weapons.
Friends, confirming these positions the
Declaration proposes four actions led by theinternational hibakusha signature drive to collecthundreds of millions of signatures by 2020, the 75th
anniversary of the atomic bombings.
I hope that these proposals will be discussed
from today in this World Conference in order to givethem substance. I ask you all to hold fruitful
discussions.
Friends, as the Declaration strongly points out,
the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons shows clearly that the world isentering an era which is not dominated by a handfulof great powers and that the future course of theworld should be determined by all countries
participating in discussions on an equal footing. The
time is now for the civil society movement tocontribute to resolving any serious international
problems by raising awareness of public opinion.
Convinced of this point, let us make big strides
towards a world without nuclear weapons.

Message from Hiroshima Mayor:
Matsui Kazumi
Mayor of Hiroshima City
(Delivered by Masauji Akio, Chief of the Civic
Affairs Bureau)First of all, I extend my sincere condolences tothose who lost their loved ones due to the recent
torrential rain and express sympathy to all citizens
in the areas affected by the disaster.
The City of Hiroshima is now putting all its
efforts into searching for missing persons,supporting the victims as they rebuild their lives andrebuilding roads and transport links.
62

In the face of this disaster, the citizens ofHiroshima and many people from all over thecountry are giving us their support in various ways.
I would like to thank all of them sincerely on thisoccasion and ask you all for your continuing supportand solidarity.
On the occasion of the 2018 World Conference
against Atomic and hydrogen Bombs- Hiroshima, I
would like to say a few words of greetings.
Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Hiroshima.
In the name of the 1,190,000 citizens of Hiroshima,
I would like to welcome you from the bottom of myheart. I also would like to express my sincere
gratitude for your steady and active work for theelimination of nuclear disarmament and therealisation of eternal world peace.
On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was laid waste
by an atomic bomb, which is an ‘absolute evil’.
Many innocent precious lives were lost and also thelives of those who barely survived weresignificantly disrupted by the consequences ofphysical and mental aftereffects, discrimination andprejudice. Such a hell is not a thing of the past at all.
As long as nuclear weapons exist and there areleaders who would indicate their potential use, wefind ourselves in a situation that this could happen
to anyone at any time.
Thus, we need to know what happened 73 years
ago below the mushroom cloud, so that we canspread throughout the world the earnest desire of the
Hibakusha for the abolition of nuclear weapons thatno one should ever again experience suchcatastrophe and tragedy, and pass it down to the next
generation.
One year has passed since the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by theUnited Nations, which prohibits the use,
stockpiling, deployment, threat of use, etc., of
nuclear weapons. In the meanwhile, ICAN, anorganization that contributed to the formation of theTreaty was rewarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Thus,in civil society, the importance of knowing thereality and aftereffects of the atomic bombing andthe spirit of the Hibakusha, in making efforts for theabolition of nuclear weapons and the realisation ofa peaceful world has been widely recognized.
However, those countries relying on nuclear
weapons have not changed their attitude against thisTreaty. I hope that the leaders of all countries beaware that the efforts to negotiate in good faith
towards nuclear disarmament is a legal obligation
stipulated under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, beyond which “a world without nuclear
weapons” is the desire of civil society, and that thenuclear ban treaty is a necessity to embody a nuclear
weapon-free world.
The City of Hiroshima believes that it isimportant for civil society to help create anenvironment which would encourage courageous
actions from the leaders of the countries dependent
on nuclear weapons towards the abolition of nuclear
weapons. With 7600 member cities/regions of the
Mayors for Peace spreading in 163 countries in theworld, we would like to do our best to ensure thatthe spirit of Hiroshima for peace based on theexperiences of the hibakusha becomes a common
value in the civil society and furthermore tocommunicate it to the leaders around the world as aconsensus of civil society.
To achieve “a peaceful world without nuclear
weapons”, it is necessary to rally the efforts of civilsociety desiring for it and willing to take action. In
this respect, it is significant that the “2018 World
Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen BombsHiroshima” is being held, where many peaceaspiring people assemble and stand with the
hibakusha. It is my sincere hope that this conference
will be fruitful as an occasion to renew ourcommitment to peace.
In concluding, I wish the conference a great
success and wish all of you here today good healthand many successes in your future activities.

Greetings of the Hibakusha:
Fujimori Toshiki
Assistant Secretary General
Japan Confederation of A-and H-BombSufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo)
Thank you for the introduction. I’m Fujimori
Toshiki of Hidankyo.
In July, more than 200 people in western Japan
lost their lives in the torrential rain. I offer mycondolences and sympathy to those in westernJapan, including Hiroshima, which was hit hardest
by the disaster. I want to thank all those who havecome from around the country to offer help.
I am one of the many who were exposed toradiation from the atomic bomb dropped on
Hiroshima by the U.S. military on August 6th 1945.
I was 16 months old. Mine was a big family of 12,
with my grandfather, parents, six sisters, twobrothers, and myself. Two of my sisters and two of
my brothers had evacuated from the city ofHiroshima to escape the air raids. All eight of us
who remained in Hiroshima were exposed to theatomic bomb radiation.
One of my sisters, who was 13 years old, was in
the first year of girls’ high school. She had been on
student mobilization to assist in the demolition ofbuildings 400 meters from the hypocenter. Directly
hit by radiation, heat rays, and blast waves, 676
63people, including teachers and students, were killed.
In Hiroshima, 8,400 students in the first and second
years of junior high school were mobilized todemolish buildings, and an estimated 6,300 of themwere killed.
On that day I was ill and had been taken to a
hospital on my mother’s back. At the very moment
she was walking up a bank in Ushita, Hiroshima, mymother detected the roar of a B29 bomber, and thenthe bomb exploded. We were blown off the bankand fell down toward the river. A two-story house
between us and the hypocenter protected us frombeing directly hit by the heat rays. My motherclimbed up the bank holding me in her arms and saw
the area in flames and smoke billowing into the sky
above the central city. The area in Ushita where ourhouse was located was also in flames. My motherand I escaped to a nearby mountain in Ushita to
avoid the flames. The rest of the family met on themountain, but my fourth sister who was in the firstyear of a girls’ high school did not come back. The
next day, my father and eldest sister went down themountain into the area near the hypocenter. My
fourth sister remained missing. They searched forher day after day but her body was never recovered.
Meanwhile, I was kept wrapped in bandages, except
for my eyes, nose, and mouth. They thought I would
die anytime soon. But I overcame every bout of
illness and have lived on for 74 years.
After that, each year on August 6th, my motherwould gather all her children to share her story of
the atomic bombing. I remember seeing tears
streaming down her face. I once asked her why she
dared to tell us about her difficult experience. She
said, “Because I don’t want any of you to everexperience the same suffering again.” Thinking
back on what she said, she was, in fact, calling for aworld where there would never be any morehibakusha again.
After the end of the Pacific War, the United
Nations was established on October 24th, 1945. On
January 10th the following year the First UN
General Assembly was held in London. It adopted
Resolution No.1 to establish “a committee to deal
with the problems raised by the discovery of atomic
energy”. This resolution called for the “eliminationfrom national armaments of atomic weapons and allother major weapons adaptable to mass
destruction.” Had this resolution been respected, anuclear weapon-free world would have beenachieved.
Unfortunately, in the Cold War between the Eastand West blocs, nuclear weapons were noteliminated. On the contrary, such weapons spread tonine countries--the U.S., Russia, Britain, France,
China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.
Currently, 14,450 nuclear warheads exist. If these

nuclear weapons are used, mankind will not survive.
Since 2010, the non-nuclear states of Norway,
Mexico, and Austria have held an International
Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear
Weapons independent of the UN. They haveengaged in tenacious discussions on issues such as
the Preparatory Committee for the NPT Review
Conference and a joint statement at the UN General
Assembly First Committee.
We hibakusha have continued domestic andinternational efforts to call for “No morehibakusha”, sharing our personal stories to let
people know that the use of nuclear weapons is acrime against humanity. In April 2016, we called on
the world’s people to sign the International
Hibakusha Appeal, and the following year on July
7th, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons was adopted at a UN conference by amajority. The Japanese government, the only Abombed country in the world, remains opposed tothe treaty and refuses to ratify it.
In the world, there are people who have thewisdom to want to eliminate nuclear weapons.
There are also people who cling to nuclear weaponsthat could destroy our planet. Which group ofpeople will save humanity?
I conclude my speech by expressing the
hibakushas’ pledge to do their utmost to fight
together with you to achieve a nuclear weapons-freeworld.

Greetings of Solidarity:
Fukuyama Shingo
Co-chair, All-Out Action Committee toStop the War and Scrapping of Article 9
I’m Fukuyama Shingo, Co-chair of the All-Out
Action Committee to Stop the War and Scrappingof Article 9.
Thank you for inviting me to your Gensuikyo’s
conference honored with a long history of struggle.
I feel nervous but at the same time profoundly
moved. Here today I am not representing Gensuikin.
So I do not touch upon the issue related to thehistory of the movement of Gensuikin and
Gensuikyo, but I think the question for bothorganizations now is how to overcome the past
problems to move ahead the Japanese movement
against A & H bombs.
Frankly speaking, many of the Japanese
movements for peace, democracy or for better
society in the post-WWII period have been divided,
described as either Communist party-led or nonCommunist. Against this backdrop, the All-Out
Action Committee started in December 2014 to get
64the War bills aborted, in overcoming the division of
the movement, which was the major weakness inJapan’s peace and democracy movements. It has
since enlarged the tasks for joint struggle, built up
momentum, and is playing a major part in the joint
struggles of the opposition parties.
What drove us then was a deep understandingthat as long as we remain divided, we would beunable to stop the outrageous policies of the LDPKomeito government led by Prime Minister Abe.
Joint struggle represents the strong desire of all who
wanted to take on the responsibility for Japan’s
future. The Japanese movement for peace anddemocracy has now moved from an era of division
to a new era of joint action. We now stand on a newstage.
On May 24, the Gensuikyo-backed Organizing
Committee of the World Conference issued an
appeal. Referring to the struggle for “No to Abe’s
revision of Article 9 of the Constitution, Stop theconstruction of the new base at Henoko, Zero
nuclear power plants and the eradication of poverty
and social gap” in addition to the “struggle for theelimination of nuclear weapons”, it said: “Now thata broad range of cooperation is developing in
opposition to the revision of the Constitution, let us
extend our invitation to such organizations andindividual citizens who have so far not taken part inour conference to join us, and thus ensure thesuccess in the conference with the largest possible
participation.” This invitation was also extended to
our All-Out Action Committee. So, in a hope thatthe movement against A and H bombs, too, will
come to stand on a new stage, I decided to stand here
to extend greetings of solidarity on behalf of the AllOut Actin Committee.
Friends, in the course of the latest ordinary
session of the Diet, misappropriation of the state
power by the Abe government, corruptions in thebureaucracy, politics on lies and many other
unbelievable evil deeds were revealed one after
another. The move to change Article 9 and the rush
to turn Japan into a war-waging country or a
military superpower have not stopped. Although
Japan is the only A-bombed country, it opposed theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons andis even playing a criminal role, betraying
expectations of the anti-nuclear peace movements
across the world. On June 12, the historic USDPRK Summit took place and a major trend fordenuclearization and peace was created in the East
Asia. Yet the Japanese government is still unable tounderstand the role that it should play. As regards
the nuclear power phase-out, although there is still
no prospect for the accident at the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power plant to be brought undercontrol, it set out a new basic energy plan in whichpriority is given to nuclear power generation, andthus following the policy to operate more nuclear
power plants. The tasks to support Hibakusha,
recognize A-bomb diseases, and help A-bomb
affected people and 2nd and 3rd generation
Hibakusha all remain inadequate.
As regards the construction of a new U.S. baseat Henoko, Okinawa, some 80% of the Okinawan
people are against it and people continue their sit-in
and other forms of protest every day. The
declaration of Governor Onaga Takeshi that his“determination to not allow a new base to be built
in Henoko remains unshaken”, made before Prime
Minister Abe on the anniversary day of the end of
the battle on Okinawa on June 23, stuck deep in ourheart. Still, riot police forces are sent from themainland, and the construction of the base continues
by force. Due to Abenomics, the problems ofpoverty and social gap are deteriorating. These are
the present state of Japan which the Abegovernment has brought about. The destiny of sucha development will be a war mongering country,
military superpower, and fascism. Can you live with
the Abe government? No, we certainly cannot.
To stop the political rush of the Abe’s LDPKomeito government and to make an era where
nuclear disarmament, support of the Hibakusha, end
to nuclear power generation, Article 9, preventionof the construction of the new base in Okinawa,
peace and democracy will all prevail, all of us
citizens, groups and opposition parties have tostruggle in cooperation and solidarity. If we stay
split, we will not be able to defeat the Abegovernment. Our future will be found only in thecooperation and joint struggle. This World
Conference of Gensuikyo has called for the widest
possible cooperation and the broadest possible
participation. I am convinced that this conference
will mark a big step forward to open further
development of our struggles. To open our “future”,
let us carry on together.

65

Resolutions’ to the UN General Assembly, which
would eventually lead to the adoption of the NPT.
The NPT developed into one of the mostinnovative and successful treaties that theinternational system has ever created. Yet, itemerged from an era of fear, at a point in time when
the spread of nuclear weapons seemed unavoidable.
Despite this fear, the NPT’s foundations are built on
trust, trust in mankind’s ability to turn back from thenuclear proliferation abyss; trust to use nuclear
technology exclusively for peaceful means; andtrust to negotiate effective measures on nuclear
disarmament.
When confronted with the argument that
security conditions are not ripe for further progresson nuclear disarmament, it’s useful to rememberthat the NPT emerged at a time of intenseinternational pressure.
But reflection on such proud moments also
brings with it a cause for concern. Concern that thatmany of the hopes and promises contained in ourcollective agreements remain unfulfilled. The
fallacy of ‘more useable nuclear weapons’ and alimited nuclear exchange is one of the mosttroubling to have rematerialized in recently. Thisconference provides us with an important
opportunity to counter this type of discourse andfocus on the reality of nuclear use; to ensure that thehorrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are neverrepeated.
Ireland’s attention has always been centred on
the weapon itself and the impact of the weapon, noton the actor or on the context. As the former UNSG
once said, there are ‘no right hands for the wrong
weapons’. Given the increasing risks surrounding
the existence and potential detonation of a nuclear
weapon, either by accident, by miscalculation or
through a deliberate act of terrorism or of war, it istime that we focus, in depth, and with greater focus
on how to implement our obligations without delay.
In a United Nations where resources are
increasingly challenged across the board, states
have a responsibility to ensure that the multilateral,
rules based system on which we depend delivers
concrete, tangible results.
We also must take a dynamic approach todisarmament. After all, it is a cross cutting issue
with direct relevance to issues such as Climate
Change, the Environment and Sustainable
Development. Ireland has worked hard recently toensure that the disproportionate impact of ionisingradiation on women and girls is recognised and tocall for women's voices to be heard clearly andgiven equal weight in the nuclear weapons debate.
Such discussions should be mainstreamed into
nuclear disarmament discourse.
Our focus must be on those commitments that

Statements by the Government
Representatives:
Jamie Walsh
Deputy-Director, Disarmament and NonProliferation, Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade
Ireland
It is an honour to be with you here today to takepart in this important conference and share Ireland’s
perspective on nuclear disarmament. It is deeply
humbling to be in the presence of so many activists
that have dedicated their lives to the cause ofhumanity and to the achievement of a world free of
nuclear weapons.
In his personal message to the Conference thisyear, the President of Ireland highlighted how yourwork has been instrumental in placing thehumanitarian purpose of disarmament at the centreof the nuclear weapon debate. As he says:‘It reminds us that we are engaged in
disarmament not for its own sake but because of
the effects that these terrible weapons have had on
people. Ordinary people: ordinary mothers,
fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons who
suffered the appalling and generational
consequences of the use of the most destructive
weapon ever invented’
Too often, this simple but important aspect ofthe discussion on nuclear weapons has been absent.
National security interests and the prevailingsecurity environment are, of course, legitimate
concerns and should be carefully assessed.
However, Ireland believes the international
community must acknowledge that nuclear
weapons respect no boundaries. Their poisonous
fallout has the potential to damage human, animaland plant life across continents; pollute our sharedresources and cause famine and changes to theclimate that would devastate humanity.
The common feature of Ireland’s disarmament
foreign policy has consistently been to highlight
how the unrestricted use and spread of weapons,
both conventional and weapons of mass destruction
contributes to human rights abuses and hinders
development.
Indeed, it was this humanitarian imperative thatfirst led Ireland to become involved in the cause of
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at theheight of the Cold War. Many people have remarked
how 2018 signals the 50th anniversary of the
opening for signature of the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty. However, 2018 also marks 60
years since Ireland’s then-Foreign Minister, Frank
Aiken, introduced the first of the so-called ‘Irish

66

can secure our future, commitments we made in the
Sustainable Development Goals and the Climate
and Migration Agreements, in UN Resolution 1325
and in our obligations to protect fundamental humanrights.
Put simply, we, as both States and Civil Society,must respond to the unprecedented global security
challenge which we face with ambition, not fear. We
must rededicate ourselves to the object and purposeof multilateral disarmament and all that it stands for,which is a world order, founded not on mistrust of
one another, but on faith in one another.
Indeed, it was with this spirit that States andCivil society approached the negotiations leading to
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;a truly ground-breaking legal instrument that finallyputs in place a workable legal framework for the
total elimination of nuclear weapons. Given the keyrole played by survivors and the impact that theirpowerful testimony has around the globe, it iswholly fitting that the role of the Hibakusha isdirectly and prominently referenced in the Treaty.
There have been some suggestions that the
TPNW somehow undermines the NPT by creating aseparate legal instrument. Such arguments create a
false dichotomy between both treaties. For Ireland,a founder member and original visionary of the NPTprocess, prohibition is a logical and moral
imperative. Our firmly held view is that the best
way to protect the NPT is to implement it. The
TPNW allows us to do exactly that by filling thelegal gap that exists in the NPT’s disarmament
provisions. We must reject, as loudly as possible,
any claims to the contrary. With respect to theexisting disarmament and non-proliferation regime,
the TPNW is practical; it is complementary; and it
is now a reality.
I mentioned numerous anniversaries throughout
my remarks and, in closing, would like to mention
one more. 2018 marks 20 years since the Good
Friday Agreement was concluded – an agreement
that, despite entrenched positions and deep-set
divisions, brought a negotiated and lasting peace tothe island of Ireland. Given the savage violence andharrowing suffering throughout the conflict inNorthern Ireland, many believed that such an
agreement was not possible. Irish poet and Nobel
Laureate, Seamus Heaney perfectly captured theatmosphere when he wrote that “We lived deep in aland of optative moods, under high, banked cloudsof resignation".
The same atmosphere of resignation can often
take over nuclear disarmament discussions; afeeling that the problem is somehow too great tochallenge and too entrenched to overcome. This is
why the work of this conference and the role of civilsociety in general is so vital. It reminds us that

popular opinion is on the side of abolition; itenergises and ignites our ambition to achieve
meaningful progress; it rolls away the clouds ofresignation.
Go raibh mile maith agut agus beir beannacht.
(Irish language) .

Seiko Ishikawa
Ambassador to Japan
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
On behalf of the Government and People of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, it is an honor toconvey to all participants a message of solidarityand fraternity at this World Conference against
Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, to commemorate the73rd anniversary of the US attack with atomic
bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, cities
that were completely destroyed with terrifichumanitarian consequences.
These atomic attacks, the only one of its kind
carried out to date, and its devastating destruction
have left a lasting truth, denunciations and lessonsof a global reach that demonstrate the rejection of
the international community against the threat ofuse and the use of nuclear weapons.
The source of the Bolivarian Republic ofVenezuela's position on nuclear disarmament isclearly included in our National Constitution of
1999, which expressively establishes the promotionof nuclear disarmament, the cooperation between
nations, and declares the Venezuelan geographicalspace as a place of peace, and furthermore prohibits
the production and use of weapons of mass
destruction, including nuclear weapons. With thissustenance and firm ethical spirit, Venezuela has
expressed its profound pacifist will, that has taken
us to be a part of the first free zone of nuclear
weapons, consecrated in the Treaty of Tlatelolco in
1967, which includes all the countries of Latin
America and the Caribbean, and to underwrite thedeclaration of the Community of Latin American
and Caribbean States (CELAC), as a Peace Zone in
2014.
On March 27th 2018, Venezuela consigned the
instrument of ratification of the Treaty on theProhibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons to the
Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, being
among the first ten countries in the world that ratify
this legal instrument.
The ratification of this historic document
demonstrates the unwavering will of the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela to advance in the eliminationof weapons of mass destruction, in addition tostrengthening the nonproliferation regime and thepromotion of disarmament. It is the greatest
67

development in recent decades in this important
subject that has direct implications for the
maintenance of international peace and security.
Last February, the Minister for Foreign Affairsof Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza said at the Ministerial
Session of the Conference on Disarmament at theUnited Nations held in Geneva that "Venezuela
offers its strong support to all initiatives oriented tothe total disarmament of nuclear weapons and theirelimination. However, the international legal law,designed to fight against threats to the peace andinternational security, are violated by the double
standards of the countries that love armament andwarmongering.”
A nuclear power, like the one presided over by
Donald Trump, threatens Venezuela with a militaryinvasion and applies measures and unilateralcoercive sanctions to cause suffering to our People.
In this regard, the Government of Venezuela
deplores the actions that promote militarism andassumes its full unrestricted commitment to peace,
dialogue, international security and nuclear
disarmament as priority objectives.
I wish to convey the government and peoples ofVenezuela's gracious salutation to the Hibakushas,
who have honored us with numerous visits to
Venezuela, on board the Peace Boat. This year, 2018,
we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first visit toVenezuela of four Hibakushas in late November
2008, as part of the Global Voyage for a Nuclear
Free World and Peace Boat Hibakusha project.
During their two weeks in Venezuela, theHibakusha took part of a series of forums, cultural
exchanges and visited hospitals, universities andnational and regional media, sharing their strong
calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Also, at this time we greet the celebration of theTenth General Conference of Mayors for Peace, andreaffirm our support for the principles andobjectives of this initiative of the Global Networkof Mayors for Peace, founded by the cities ofHiroshima and Nagasaki, of which Venezuela
participates with 25 member cities.
Finally, I will read the message addressed to thismeaningful World Conference against Atomic andHydrogen Bombs, on behalf of the Non-Aligned
Movement, composed by 120 countries, under thepresidency of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
(See page 14.)

Claudio Monzón
Second Secretary
Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Japan
Unfortunately, the history of humankind has
been plagued by wars and genocide, something that
progress to this day has not been able to remedy, inspite of the considerable increase in the material
welfare and the relative increase of politicalawareness in some parts of the world. On thecontrary, the galloping technological advances
experienced after the industrial revolution, hasresulted in modern warfare much costlier in human
lives and suffering, and demanding of a growing
military expenditure that, in the case of many
powers, reaches ridiculous figures.
It is unacceptable that today, more is being spent
on means to wage war than on the promotion ofsustainable development. Global military spending
is forecast to reach $1.67 trillion in 2018, the highest
level since the end of Cold War. An amount that
could alleviate a global situation where, more than
200 million of people in the planet live in extreme
poverty, 1 in 7 people suffer hunger, millions ofchildren die of preventable diseases and manyothers don´t have the opportunity to learn to write
and read.
Undoubtedly there must be some who consider
that war is an inevitable characteristic of the humanrace, a legitimate way to solve disputes or maintaina status quo favorable to their interests. Otherwise,
it would be impossible to explain such a nonsense.
In any case, we pacifists, must not stop denouncing
this situation and claiming “progress” as ahumanistic concept that implies achieving fairer
societies and international relations, not the meretechnological development that in the wrong hands
can be a threat to everyone.
The most horrible example of this is nuclear
armament, an immense sum of resources and humantalent destined towards destruction. Nowadays,
humankind is threatened by the existence of almost
22 thousand nuclear weapons, more than 5 thousandof them ready to be used immediately.
73 years after the launch of the atomic bombsthat sowed destruction and death in Hiroshima andNagasaki, this is absolutely intolerable, and must
make us reflect if we have learnt enough from thistragedy.
The imminent danger that these weapons
represent for humankind is evident. The oftenrepeated deterring function of nuclear bombs,
proclaimed by their owners, doesn’t guarantee thatat a certain point, they won’t use them, nor does it
exclude the possibility that a human error will
trigger an attack or a nuclear disaster.
But even if this never happens, a peace based on68the threat that some may instantly erase millions ofpeople from the face of the earth, whatever thereasons for such action, is not good enough. It is ahumiliating situation for human beings, whichbrings us closer to the condition of beasts than thatof a civilized race. But above all, it is an
unnecessary situation; we can live in harmony,
without the need of having missiles pointing at eachother.
On July 7th 2017 an overwhelming majority of
the world’s nations adopted a Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons, which constitutes
a fundamental step towards nuclear disarmament. It
prohibits nations from developing, testing,producing, manufacturing, transferring, possessing,stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear
weapons, or allowing nuclear weapons to bestationed on their territory. It also prohibits themfrom assisting, encouraging or inducing anyone toengage in any of these activities.
Cuba was among the first 5 nations that ratified
the Treaty, demonstrating our commitment towards
nuclear disarmament. Cuba joins the call of theinternational community to the States that have notsigned or ratified this Treaty, in particular to the
nuclear powers, to do so.
The defense of non-proliferation is not enough.
The manipulation of this idea, based on the politicalinterest of a club of privileged nations that continues
to improve their nuclear weapons is a double
standard that must stop.
The concept of “nuclear deterrence” must be
definitely abandoned as the foundation of military
doctrines, which, far from contributing to nuclear
disarmament, encourage the perpetual possession ofthese weapons.
Cuba will spare no effort to achieve theprohibition and total elimination of nuclear
weapons. This is one of the main legacies of Fidel
Castro, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution,
who denounced, in every possible forum, the threatthat they posed for the survival of the human species.
Maybe the best phrase that synthesize his ideas
about this issue is precisely what he wrote during
his visit to the Peace Memorial here in Hiroshima:“May such barbarity never happen again”.
We must build another world order, basedon human solidarity, justice and prosperity for all, aworld where conflicts are solved through dialogue
and cooperation.
This should be the firm commitment of all thepeople who have had the privilege of visiting
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thank you very much.

Mobilization for Nuclear WeaponFree, Peaceful and Just World:
Statements by Overseas Delegates:
Ninon Cazaux
French Peace Movement
For a Peaceful and Fair World, Without
Nuclear Weapons
First of all, I would like to express the solidarityof the French Peace Movement and all ourcompassion for the families who were bruised by
the terrible floods that particularly affected theprovince of Hiroshima.
It is with great pleasure that we respond to thecall of the organizing Committee of this World
Conference against A and H Bombs.
A victory of citizen mobilizations
The adoption by the UN of a treaty to ban
nuclear weapons could not have been possible
without the tireless testimony of the Hibakushas andthe permanence of the mobilizations of the peace
movements in Japan. It is also a victory for millions
of people and NGOs who, throughout the world,
have acted for decades for the definitive eliminationof all weapons of mass destruction in connection
and convergence with the actions of a number ofcountries and national and international institutions
such as the UN, the International Red Cross, theILO (International Labor Organization), the ITUC
(International Trade Union Confederation).
Global issues
Nuclear weapons are a deadly danger forhumanity. The challenge of their eradication islinked to other issues such as war and peace, fair andsustainable development, the fight against global
warming and more broadly for a world of justice,fraternity and equality (especially between womenand men), so with the general struggle for humanrights.
Humanity has never had as today the capacity
and the means to face these challenges and to create
the conditions so that every human being can live inpeace and security.
The logic of power, domination andmonopolizing typical to present globalized
economies is a major obstacle to build a peacefulworld free of nuclear weapons. It also comes with aquestioning of the United Nations Charter andmultilateralism for the benefit of NATO or
supranational organizations such as the G8 or G20.
Thus this logic has favored the development of
the military-political-industrial complex which is
the main adversary in this phase of the struggle
69

towards the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The military-industrial complex, which ismainly responsible for increasing military
expenditure, also dominates and controls the media
power. In France, for example, the adoption of theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was
totally ignored by the media or was fought by socalled experts.

United States and around the world against theforces of anti-blackness, genocide, anddehumanization
throughracism.
Racismproliferates as part of the fabric of the United States
government and of its society. There is a humancaste system, one that creates a hierarchy ofhumanity within the United States that continues todiscriminate against and oppress Black people.
The Black Lives Matter Movement is thecontinuation of the Civil Rights Movement forliberation, freedom, and equity in the United States.
Our modern resistance fights to stop the state
sanctioned killings of black people by local police;
to stop the mass imprisonment black people, and togarner the human rights and dignity for living
through alleviation of poverty, access to quality
education, housing, and economic opportunities.
Black Lives Matter Movement was founded bythree women who saw the need to reject humanhierarchy established within the United States. Our
Movement asserts that ALL Black people –women,
queer, LGBTQ, those who are disabled, and thepoor and vulnerable deserve equal rights and justice.
The everyday racism, racist policies, attitudes, andculture in the United States and around the globe
excludes and discriminates against Black people
making our communities vulnerable and subject toarbitrary state sanctioned violence. That is why our
movement stand in solidarity with other peoples
around the globe who fight for human rights. We are
an intersectional movement and we stand insolidarity with the Indigenous American peoples
whose land the United States government has stolen
and against whom there has been a policy of
genocide. We stand in solidarity with immigrants
who are being targeted, persecuted, and deported.
Whose children are being caged and sold into
human trafficking. We stand in solidarity andstruggle alongside the Palestinian people for a freeand liberated Palestine, and for its indigenous
Palestinian people to be able to return to their lands.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network
recognizes the interlocking global mechanisms thefuel dehumanization and war. From capitalism,
Western cultural hegemony (domination) tomilitarization and the multi-trillion dollars war
machines. Humanity and our environment should
never again suffer the terror of nuclear war. We must
dislodge the philosophies and the mechanisms thatuses the threat of annihilation and of war to solve
conflicts. Money and resources funneled to sustain
and proliferate nuclear war, the militarization of thepolice who occupy and terrorize Black communities
in the United States should be redirected to provide
social and material support for the lives of the mostvulnerable. These resources are needed in housing,education, social and environmental programs long

Balance of power
The success of the treaty on the prohibition of
nuclear weapons should not be underestimated, noroverestimated, and we should neither underestimate
the determination of our opponents to delay theelimination of nuclear weapons. What is really
positive is that the balance of power has evolved infavor of the elimination of nuclear weapons.
In France, the majority and the current
government (Macron) is in favor of nuclear
deterrence, the militarization of international
relations, military interventions abroad andalignment with NATO policies.
Regarding the doctrine of nuclear deterrence,
more and more voices raise in France to question it,
including those of former ministers of defense.
For the French Peace Movement this doctrine
inevitably leads to proliferation.
Proof of this is the possession of the nuclear
weapon by North Korea.
Campaign
The French Peace Movement has launched acampaign for France to commit, sign and ratify theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW).
We pledge before you to do everything so that
the France holder of the nuclear weapon andpermanent member of the Security Council of theUnited Nations signs the Treaty of prohibition of the
Nuclear Weapon.

Karlene Griffiths Sekou
Black Lives Matter Boston/ Dignity
Project International
U.S.A.
Greetings. I am grateful for the opportunity to
be here with you. My deepest gratitude and Thanks
to Shinfujin and dear sister Emiko Hirano for her
exquisite care for me and my son Lion, and for theirsupport.
It is my honor to bring you greetings from all
my comrades in the Movement for Black Lives andthe Global Black Lives Matter Network. As I stand
before you today, there remains a critical, ongoingstruggle for people of African descent within the70withheld from Black, poor, and vulnerable. We fightto promote the flourishing and human rights of all
black lives because black folks have always
suffered racism, discrimination, and exclusion fromflourishing in the United States despite the fact that
it was forced Black Labor that built the wealth of
the United States and from which European
descendants benefit to this day. We fight alongsideother communities against the proliferation of theatomic and hydrogen bombs, nuclear proliferationand call for nuclear disarmament and abolition.
Where there is a threat to one there is a threat to all.

is now known that even a limited nuclear exchange,such as between India and Pakistan, would cause
enough of a dust cloud worldwide to harm crops
throughout the globe for twenty years, leading towidespread famine and severe loss of life –threatening two billion people with death. A fullscale nuclear war would increase the size of the dust
clouds to cause global climate cooling such thathuman life and that of many other species would bethreatened with extinction.
The second organization which I am honored torepresent is the University of the Middle East, an
NPO, founded in 1997, based in Boston,
Massachusetts in the US. UME is focused on the
training of educators from the Middle East andNorth Africa region, as well as the United States, inthe vital peacebuilding skills of conflict
management and mediation. Its annual Oleander
Initiative, named for the first flowers that bloomedin the irradiated areas, is represented here today.
Education will influence the next generation, andmeaningful change will be made through politicallyintelligent methods.
In conclusion, our fight to rid the world of
nuclear weapons must be politically smart.
IPPNW and UME are here to help us be politicallyintelligent as we move forward in our noble intent.

Donald Mellman
International Physicians for thePrevention of Nuclear War/ Oleander
Initiative of the University of the Middle
East Project, U.S.A.
I am honored to be here today as a representativeof two separate organizations, each with animportant role to play as we strive to make the world
free of nuclear arms.
However, first I want to say, how personallysatisfying it is to be in Japan. In today’s world
with its uncertainty and concern for the politicalleadership, Japan is vital to North Asian economic
security.
I bring you greetings from the Secretariat of theInternational Physicians for the Prevention of
Nuclear War. IPPNW is a non-partisan, global
federation of independent chapters from sixty-two
countries.
IPPNW was started by a group of Harvardbased physicians and prominent Soviet Union
physicians in 1982, all concerned about thehumanitarian consequences that would result fromthe use of nuclear weapons.
IPPNW was awarded the UNESCO Peace
Education Prize in 1984 and has been the recipientof the Nobel Peace Prize twice: first, in 1985 as anindependent organization and again last year, as partof ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish
Nuclear Weapons, a coalition of non-governmentalorganizations in one hundred countries promoting
adherence to and implementation of the United
Nations Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons, adopted in New York in July 2017.
Physicians treated, and continue to treat, thevictims of the 1945 nuclear catastrophe and spreadthe lesson that we must not let these horrificweapons be used again. Physicians are now
educating the public on the less well-known
catastrophic consequences of nuclear war beyond
the horror of death and destruction caused by
nuclear blast, firestorms, and intense radiation. It

Choi Eun-Soon
Korean Women’s Associations United(KWAU), R.O.K.
For a nuclear weapon-free world andsustainable peace
It is my great pleasure to meet you today. AI am
Choi Eun-soon, co-representative of the Korean
Women’s Association United (KWAU). First I
would like to bring you my solidarity greetings.
The KWAU was established in 1987 as a
coalition of progressive women’s organizations
working for realizing gender equality, democracy,
well-being, and peaceful and united society withsustainability. Since its founding, the KWAU has
been working mainly on peace and unification.
In 2017 and 2018, changes took place in South
Korean society. The present government born after
the Candlelight Revolution is promoting further
progress in South-North relations with a view toestablishing a system of peace for the Korean
Peninsula. The #Me Too movement calls for a big
structural change in society that has caused violenceand discrimination. Positive and more sustainable
peace and peace without nuclear weapons and war
is the primary concern of the Korean society atpresent.
71

The colonial legacy, division, militaryconfrontation, and the threat of war had a negative
impact on people’s lives. The prevalence ofmilitarism and a solidly established system of
patriarchy afflicted the lives of Korean women. The
issue of the comfort women, who were forced toprovide sexual service to Japanese army soldiers,
the problem of women in US military camp towns,
discrimination, violence, hatred, and exclusion of
women in South Korean society have been laid barein the course of the development of the #Me Too
Movement. All this explains why Korean womenare at the forefront of the movement to build peaceand achieve social transformation.
Korean Peninsula situation is changing
drastically. South Korea’s women and civicorganizations support the April 27 Panmunjom
Declaration and are working together to have thisagreement fully implemented. They wish for the full
implementation of the agreement to hold meetings
with a view to declaring an end to the war, turning
the armistice to a peace treaty, and establishing apermanent and solid regime of peace” by the end of
the year. These women’s organizations also work
together to gain support and cooperation from theinternational community.
Japan’s Abe government, arguing theimportance of the US nuclear umbrella under thepretext of the threat of North Korea, refuses to join
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,and even seeks to abandon the peace Constitution
by adversely amending Article 9 in order to pushahead with Japan’s rearmament. However, theJapanese anti-nuclear peace movement has been
firm against this move. The Korean women would
like to share the cause of the movement with you.
Seventy thousand out of 210,000 hibakusha are
Koreans. There also remain various other problems
related to wartime military comfort women andJapan’s occupation and imperialism. For Japan to berecognized as a responsible member of theinternational community, it should take a hard lookat the history of its colonial rule.
The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsulaand peace certainly needs cooperation and support
from the international community. Citizens’ global
solidarity is also very important. I hope that the
movement for peace will greatly advance in Japanand the rest of East Asia toward a world without
nuclear weapons through building peace on the
Korean Peninsula.
The KWAU from a gender perspective hopes toincrease solidarity with people around the world. I
believe that your passion and dedication willcertainly contribute to achieving a peaceful world
without nuclear weapons.
No Women, No Peace!

Statements by Japanese Delegates:
Representatives of Hibakusha
Organizations in Hiroshima:
Sakuma Kunihiko
President, Hiroshima Federation of ABomb Survivors (Hiroshima Hidankyo)(*This text was written by Mr. Yoshioka Yukio,
Secretary General of Liaison Conference ofHiroshima Prefectural A-Bomb Sufferers'
Organizations and read by Mr. Sakuma on his behalf)

In 2017, A-bomb sufferers here in Japan andabroad initiated the International Signature
Campaign in Support of the Appeal of the
Hibakusha.
This campaign denounces the inhumane natureof nuclear weapons and calls on all states toconclude a treaty to prohibit and eliminate nuclear
weapons. This is an earnest appeal from all A-bombsufferers such as the nine initial proponents of thissignature campaign.
Toward the end of the war, Japanese militaryclosed schools and forcefully mobilized evenmiddle school students and girl students for the war.
In Hiroshima, most of them were mobilized toengage in the house demolition and other work near
the hypocenter of the atomic bombing.
Our class, the second year of middle school, wasgiven an order to work on August 5 and 6. Deciding
by scissors-paper-stone, my group won and chose
August 5. On August 6, I was at a point 1.7
kilometers from the hypocenter, but narrowly
escaped death.
However, the classmates in the other group were
all killed because they were working near the
hypocenter on that day.
The International Signature Campaign will help
ease the chagrin of my classmates who had their
future cut off at the age 16 as well as of thosecountless A-bomb victims.
Last year, the United Nations adopted the Treaty
on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
This was one of the fruits borne by the efforts ofmany people, including hibakushas, thegovernments, and civil societies that have long beenworking for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
So far, there are campaigns going on for theentry into force of the treaty with 14 countries
having already ratified it. Let us pave the way
towards the elimination of nuclear weapons bywinning the ratification by 50 countries, required
for the treaty to come into force.
Friends, the government of Japan, the only
country that was A-bombed, was absent in thenegotiating sessions. On the vacant seat for the72

Korean peninsula, and at the same time, thedenuclearization there. I expect this move will leadto the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula andthe whole world as early as possible. For this reason,
I want as many people as possible to participate in
the International Signature Campaign we are now
leading; we will also promote this movement withthe strongest commitment.

Japanese government in the UN, a paper crane wasplaced. The Japanese government turned its backon a large majority of the people and stood against
the treaty together with the nuclear weapon states.
At the meeting with Prime Minister to be held
the day after tomorrow where Hibakusha
Representatives will present their demands, I am
going to urge Prime Minister Abe to sign and ratify
the Treaty on TPNW as the unanimous demand of
all the organizations of A-bomb sufferers in
Hiroshima.
I will insist that the government's attitude tocontinuously oppose the treaty violates the oathinscribed in the memorial stone in the Peace Park:"Rest in peace. The mistake will not be repeated".
We must change the attitude of the government,
and if not, we will bring down this government.
The International Signature Campaign will
greatly contribute to pressing the governments inJapan and in the world to sign and ratify the treaty.
The international signature campaign for the
Stockholm Appeal that stopped the use of nuclear
weapons and the petition for the prohibition of A &H Bombs, which started following the disaster
caused by the hydrogen bomb test near Bikini Atoll
had led to the birth of the Japan Council against A
and H Bombs (Gensuikyo). The signature campaign
for the “Appeal from Hiroshima and Nagasaki”
launched in 1985 and other signature campaigns
built up a great pressure on the nuclear weapon
states, leading to their pledge made at the NPT
review conference to abolish nuclear weapons.
The current signature campaign will be verysignificant to get the entry into force of the TPNW
and open the way to the elimination of nuclear
weapons.
In concluding, I reassure you that we will workwith you to spread this signature campaign all over
the world.

Kwon Joonoh
Vice-President, Special Task Force forSouth Korean A-bomb Casualties
Yorobun Annyeong Hashimnikka. (Hello,
everyone.)
Allow me to extend solidarity greetings onbehalf of the organization of South Korean A-bomb
Casualties located in Hiroshima.
Mr. Sakuma and Mr. Kim Ginho talked about a
lot of things. I will limit my speech to a short story
that I know. A few years ago, US President Obama
visited Hiroshima and he referred to the number ofA-bomb sufferers from the Korean Peninsula like "athousand" or "a few thousands”, whereas we
estimate the number at between 25,000 and 30,000.
However, both the governments of Japan and theUnited States tend to understate the number of
Korean victims.
I would be happy if you could tell me theaccurate figure here, but the Hibakusha are
Hibakusha wherever they are from. I want you toknow that there were many non-Japanese A-bomb
victims at that time among what you refer as Abomb victims. I will work hard hand in hand withyou to have these cruel nuclear weapons abolishedas early as possible by carrying out the International
Signature Campaign in support of the Appeal of the
Hibakusha.

Kim Ginho
Director, Hiroshima Prefectural Councilof Korean Hibakusha

Yasumoto Mariko
Ibaraki JA Hospital Workers’ Union/
Japan Federation of Medical Workers’
Unions (Nihon-Iroren)

Hello, everyone. Thank you for your work. I am
Kim Ginho, a member of the Hiroshima Prefectural
Council of Korean Hibakusha. We have especially
hot summer in Hiroshima this year. The Hiroshima
Carps, the local baseball team, with its successive
victories makes this summer even hotter. Much
more excited and enthusiastic are Hibakushas, andseven organizations of Hibakushas demanding theelimination of nuclear weapons.
As you already know, the ROK-DPRK Summitand US-DPRK Summit took place this year. These
historic meetings will develop the move toward theestablishment of a peaceful, prosperous, united

We represent IBAKORO, the Ibaraki Japan
Agricultural Cooperative’s Hospital Workers’
Union. From Ibaraki, 13 members are participatingin the Conference with 50 colleagues from acrossJapan.
Unionization rate in Japan is low, only standingat 17%. This is because of the policy of thegovernment and the capital to divide and isolate
workers through different forms of employment.
One-fifth of workers are non-regular employees,
which makes it hard for workers to get connected
and help each other. Unfortunately, our health sector73

is not an exception. Many workplaces are sufferingfrom understaffing: We usually work more than 8hours a day; Unpaid overtime is common in many
hospitals; overtime after 16-hour-night-shift is not
unusual. We are working to save lives of patients,
but our workload is just so excessive that we arerisking our own lives. I have witnessed that many
nurses quitted as soon as the hospital employed newnurses.
Labor relations are not only the cause of thisserious situation. Income of hospitals is greatly
affected by the medical and technical service fees
set by the government that is subject to review andchange every 2 years. Thus, the government
medical policy has great influence on working
conditions at hospitals and clinics. As seen in his
call for the revision of the Constitution, the Abegovernment has increased military spending while
drastically cutting the social security budget. We
have great concern that the right to life, guaranteedin Article 25 of the Constitution, and 3 basic laborrights (rights to organize, to bargain collectively andto strike) in Article 28 may be jeopardized. Out of
this sense of crisis, our union came round to the ideathat our struggle must not be limited to theimprovement of working conditions; the activity of
only sending our representatives to the Bikini Day
rally and the World Conference against A and H
Bombs was not enough. We formed a peacecommittee within the union in 2014 and havecarried on peace activities, connecting them with
union tasks.
I am sorry to say that some union members
hesitate to join in such activities on the Constitution
and peace tasks, saying that they are “political”
matters. However, no one can live without being
affected by politics. Thanks to the Peace
Constitution, we can carry out union movement andraise our voices for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
I don’t like them to dodge their apathy andirresponsibility, saying that these problems arepolitical. Instead, I want them to join in the Peace
March and walk even one step together! Some
members of our union, who joined the march, felt
encouraged by other peace marchers andexperienced peace activists, and realized what they
could do for peace. They are now more positively
engaged in peace activities.
We set one condition on our union members’
participation in the World Conference: No one canbe a part of our delegation to the Conference
without joining the peace march with local activists.
This serves a good opportunity for them toexperience the march. One of them got addicted tothe march; he joined it for 6 days out of the 13-day
march in the prefecture by using paid leaves or evenjoining after night shift of work.

And our members of 6 KOSEIREN hospitals,
who could not join the conference, folded 4,000
paper cranes and asked the delegation to bring themto Hiroshima with their wish for the abolition of
nuclear weapons. These are message boards they
made with the paper cranes. Both to protect
community medical service and to defend peace
have a common principle “to protect lives”. Our
national federation, Japan Federation of Medical
Workers’ Unions, has been upholding the slogan,“Never smirch our white coats with blood ofbattlefields”. Under this slogan, we will continue tofight to defend the Peace Constitution and achieve
the abolition of nuclear weapons by empowering
ourselves through constant learning activities. Let
us keep working together for peace!

Morita Kaoru
Urawa Branch, New Japan Women’s
Association (Shinfujin)
The New Japan Women’s Association(Shinfujin) upholds peace and the elimination of
nuclear weapons as the organization’s founding
objectives, and has been working at the grassroots
level. Opposing to the constitutional revision andcalling for the elimination of nuclear weapons,
Shinfujin has focused on the two peace petition
campaigns: the Hibakusha Appeal International
Signature Campaign, and the 30-Million Signature
Campaign to Say “No!” to Abe’s Revision of
Article 9.
I belong to Shinfujin Urawa Branch in Saitama
Prefecture. Our branch has 22 “Hans” (Han means“group” in Japanese and it is a basic organizational
unit of Shinfujin). All these Hans participate in thesignature drive on the 6th and/or the 9th of every
month. We have organized gatherings with the
Hibakusha and those who experienced the war tohear their stories. Deeply moved and motivated bytheir stories, “Han” members started to act on theirown initiatives for collecting signatures in supportof the “Hibakusha Appeal” by putting signatures
forms into mailboxes of apartments and making
door-to-door visits later on, or by organizing
signature collecting in public spaces such as in frontof supermarkets and high schools. People came tosign saying, for example, that they were ashamed of
the Japanese government because it opposed theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. I am
convinced that having dialogues with each of those
who stop to listen to us is a step forward to achievea peaceful world without nuclear weapons.
Urawa Branch also works to make the A-bombdamage known to as many people as possible, andorganizes every summer A-bomb photo exhibitions
74with the support of Saitama City (prefectural
capital) in public facilities in every ward. This year,
too, hundreds of people came to the exhibitions. We
can put signature forms in the exhibition sites andpeople would sign after seeing the photos.
Urawa Branch members have reached 52% of
the target number for the Hibakusha Appeal
International Signature Campaign, and 81% for the
30-Million Signature Campaign to Say “No!” to
Abe’s Revision of Article 9.
In Saitama Prefecture, since the Security Bills
were submitted to the Diet, different women’sgroups and individuals rallied together on agreed
point of opposing to the security legislation, andhave organized seminars and parades. Seven
thousand women attired in red crowded in front of
the prefectural office to express their anger. Thiswas overwhelming. An unprecedented cooperation
is developing among women of different ages, fromyoung mothers to the elderly, as well as among
political parties and organizations. The Women
Civil Alliance for Peace and Democracy was set up,
too, for strengthening wider cooperation for theupcoming House of Councilors election.
It is my mother who inspired me to work forpeace. She passed away more than 10 years ago, but
I remember visiting Hiroshima with my family as
an elementary school student and learned about
peace. She also told me about her war experienceand read many peace books. I am truly grateful to
my mother for teaching me the importance of peace.
These hats we are wearing were made by young
members of Omiya Branch to express their wish forpeace. And we brought these thousands of cranes
folded by our dear colleague of Urawa Branch, Ms.
Murayama Hatsue, who passed away last monthafter devoting herself to peace activities for years.
She and all our branch members, including those
who could not make to Hiroshima, are with us today
in this World Conference.
Now is the time for us to receive the baton fromour predecessors to carry on the movement to free
our world of nuclear weapons.

60th Anniversary Nationwide Peace
March and the International Youth
Relay March:
Maekawa Shiro (Moderator): National Peace
March celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
Now I would like to introduce to you 9 throughmarchers of the march from north to south.
Mr. Yamauchi Kanehisa (Hokkaido Tokyo/the Pacific course): Playing cheerful musicwith his trumpet, Mr. Yamauchi led the march from
Rebun-Island of Hokkaido and walked through theaffected areas of the Great East Japan earthquake
and TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disastercalling for the abolition of nuclear weapons andnuclear power.
Mr. Yamaguchi Itsuro (Hokkaido-Tokyo/ theSea of Japan side course) is 86 years old andwalked all the way from Hokkaido to Tokyo. Whenthe march arrived at Kamo City Office, Niigata
Prefecture, the Mayor walked together by holding
the banner of the march from his office on thesecond floor to the city assembly chairperson’s
office on the third floor. In Nagano Prefecture, hewalked in the precinct of the Zenkoji Temple
together with the peace march organizing
committee members of Gensuikin (Japan Congress
Against A & H Bombs).
Mr. Suhara Hideo (Hokkaido-Tokyo/Inlandcourse) started to walk from Abashiri, Hokkaido,
calling lively for participation in the World
Conference against A & H Bombs with a rhythmicalbeat of the Uchiwa-daiko (round fan dram) all theway to Tokyo. During the march, he felt the warm
support from local municipalities and also learned agreat deal of efforts of local grassroots communities
for the success of this march and he wants to go on
marching!
Because of the heavy rain disasters in thesouthwest parts of Japan, we had to shorten thecourses toward Hiroshima from Toyama, Tokyo,
Shikoku, Okinawa, Miyazaki and Nagasaki.
However, despite all these difficulties, marchers
continued walking, calling for the abolition of
nuclear weapons and the entry into force of the
Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. Today, they finallyarrived at Hiroshima Peace Park!
Ms. Minami Yukako (Tokyo-Hiroshima
course) carried over the wishes for peace of themarchers from Tokyo, Wakayama and Shikoku.
Yukako walked all the way to Hiroshima. On theway, she also prayed for peace and wellbeing of thepeople in Kansai and Chugoku areas stricken byearthquake and torrential rains.
After walking around Shikoku, Mr. Igarashi
Shigeomi (Shikoku-Hiroshima course) joinedTokyo-Hiroshima course and marched in Kansai

Solidarity with the All-Okinawa
Struggles:
Yamamoto Takashi
All Okinawa Coalition Against New
Construction of Henoko Base
(Please see page 45.)75

and Chugoku areas toward Hiroshima. He wish tocontinue walking until all nuclear weapons are
abolished on earth.
Ms. Yoneyama Sachiko (Tokyo-Hiroshima
course) posted her blog every day to inform peopleof what she felt during the march. In her blog, sheshared a story about a 90-year-old woman who had
offered paper cranes to the Peace March for 16 years
and this year Sachiko received her last cranes which
made her realize the gravity of responsibility as apeace marcher.
Mr.
NishidaShigeyoshi(MiyazakiHiroshima course) was born and raised in Omi,
near Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. He always
cheered up the march with his sense of humor andalso sang “Heiwa-no-Koyomi”, a song of Toru
Kasagi three times a day!
Ms. Shimada Noriko (Nagasaki-Hiroshima
course) led the march from Nagasaki, the last
victim city, to Hiroshima, the first A-bombed city.
Although the Japanese government is refusing tosign the Ban Treaty, she learned through the marchthat a lot of municipalities share the same goal with
us for a world without nuclear weapons and she was
encouraged by grassroots efforts in each place.
Mr. Takeda Akihiko (Okinawa-Hiroshima
course) walked to Hiroshima wearing theInternational Youth Relay sashes with dates andcourses were written on the other side. These sashes
were handed from people from all ages from a 4year-old girl to a member of the pensioners’’ union.
He wishes to display these sashes in the Peace

March Museum someday. Today, some young
marchers from Okinawa who walked with him arealso on this stage.
Maekawa: In the International Youth Relay
March, we had the participation of the following
members: Ms. Patricia Angeles (Peace Women
Partners), Mr. Guerrero AG Saño (Teach Peace,
Build Peace/Art Mission for Peace), Mr.
Sarifoddin Bin Hashim and Ms. Laida Musa
(Midanao People’s Peace Movement) from thePhilippines; Ms. Shinjo Saho (Hiroshima
Gensuikyo) of Japan; Ms. Paloma Labbe(French Peace Movement) of France; Ms. Yei
Hsuan Huang (Lan An Cultural and Educational
Foundation, Lanyu) from Taiwan; Mr. Lee Jae
Young (Civil Network for Justice in Sports) from
ROK; Ms. Siobhon McManus (Guahan
Coalition for Peace and Justice) from Guam; andMs. Emilie Clark and Ms. Emily Rubino (Peace
Action New York) from USA.
Representing these International Youth Relay
Marchers, we ask Guerrero AG Saño to say a few
words.
AG Saño: Hello everyone! I am AG Saño fromthe Philippines. I wholeheartedly call for yourparticipation in the Peace March, especially young
people of Japan. Let’s walk together and move
forward towards our goal! Thank you very much.
Maekawa: Yes, we hope that we will see moreyoung marchers joining the March next year. Let’s
walk together even if it’s just for a few steps. Thankyou very much!

76

International Forum:“For the Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Dialogue between Governments & NGOs”(August 5)

When I walked through the park yesterday, I
saw the flame burning. And I was told that the flame
will cease to burn once we have reached the totalelimination of nuclear weapons. So it’s certainly ourcommon objective, and interesting enough, allstates, including the nuclear weapon states, thathave committed themselves to the total eliminationof nuclear weapons. They have done so in different
documents, but most importantly perhaps, already50 years ago, in the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Because this treaty, which is the bedrock of nuclear
disarmament, contains the famous Article 6 whichsays, “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes
to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective
measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms
race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.”
And when you negotiate in good faith, you mighttake some years. This year we are celebrating 50
years of this treaty and most people think that when
you negotiate in good faith you should reach theresult in a number of years and certainly in 50 years.
So, we will hear more perhaps later from the
Irish colleague on the nonproliferation treaty
because in fact it was Ireland that proposed 60 years
ago to have such a treaty which also contains one ofPanelist Presentations:Thomas Hajnoczi
Director for Disarmament, Arms Control
and Non-Proliferation, Federal Ministry
for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
Austria(Transcribed from oral presentation)It’s a particular pleasure and honor for me to behere with you today and to be in Hiroshima, because
when you go to the peace memorial park you
certainly see in very concrete terms what nuclear
weapons would mean. I think in a very well done
you see that it’s the fate of the individuals. It really
touches people. It’s not so much abstract numbersthat are mind boggling. It’s the fate of the sufferingthat nuclear weapons bring to fellow citizens of theworld. Therefore, it is crucial that the issue of
nuclear disarmament is not something that is theprerogative of generals and diplomats. It has to bein the hands of ordinary people like us here today.
So we all have influence on this. We have to makesure that our voice is heard.
77the three pillars, nuclear disarmament, because you
cannot have nonproliferation without disarmament.
It’s a deal that those countries that do not havenuclear weapons yet will never develop them,against the promise of the countries that havenuclear weapons that they will disarm them. So thatis the basis of the relationship and I think weunderstand this quite well, because what is thecredibility when nuclear weapon states tells you,“You should not develop nuclear weapons, but I
need them for my security”? It’s not very
convincing. So the patience of non-nuclear weapon
states of course is running a little bit out over thelast years. First we have seen quite good progresson nuclear disarmament, reductions and so on, but
now over the last one or two decades it’s not
happening any more with the promising speed.
So it was very much in the minds of NGOs andnon-nuclear weapon states, what could we do?
Certainly we cannot take away the nuclear weaponsof those who have them, but what we can do is tomake the foundation for the total elimination of
nuclear weapons, which must be a legally-binding
norm to prohibit nuclear weapons.
And that actually happened as you all know
when we, on the 7th of July last year, adopted theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, andactually, the full title is “Towards the totalelimination of nuclear weapons”, so it is already inthis treaty. This is just of course the legal foundation,and much more has to happen. And you know that
overwhelming majority of states has adopted thistreaty, which, I think is very obvious because theoverwhelming majority of states has come to theconclusion that for their security, it is much better
not to have nuclear weapons, and they do not want
to see them also in the hands of others.
You know that we have developed a number ofnuclear weapon-free zones, something that 127
countries are members of those zones, and othercountries like mine, Austria, we have it in ourconstitution that nuclear weapons are forbidden,
everything to do with nuclear weapons is forbidden- transfer and assistance to develop them and so on.
So actually you all should bear in mind that the
majority of states is against nuclear weapons
because they feel it’s not good for their security. Of
course we know that still quite a number of states
think that it is good for their security, and I thinkthat’s the real conversation that we have to have.
But in view of my country and myself, nuclear
weapons cannot provide security, because they area danger in themselves, and we know today much
more than we did decades ago about the effects ofnuclear weapons, the humanitarian effect, I do nothave to stress this with you here in Hiroshima thatis very obvious. But I mean, research have shown

us that they have an impact on faraway countries
and continents and there’s this famous study whichmore or less calculated how many millions ofpeople are dying due to the effects of nuclear winterin faraway countries in a region if there is a nuclear
confrontation, not to speak of the most recent study
that tells us that the exchange of a hundred nuclear
weapons might already be sufficient to wipe out
mankind. So it’s very much about all of us and oursurvival.
Today we already know more about these
accidents that have happened that could have led toan unintentional nuclear weapon explosion, that’s
the very real danger. The United States is verytransparent on those things and they have published
32 major accidents that they have had. We knowthat in Russia they were very close to the brink of
the full exchange of nuclear weapons if not for theofficer who died this year, Mr. Stanislav Petrov who
would not have followed his instructions when hesaw on the computer that the missiles that should be
nuclear missiles, came in from the west. And hechecked and checked and decided it must be a
mistake, but he didn’t know whether it was atechnical mistake, and finally of course, it happened
enough. He was right because according to thisconcept of “an attack on alert”, you would have tolaunch your nuclear weapons to prevent that yourown will be destroyed. This is a very dangerous
concept.
My minister recently spoke at the Conference on
Disarmament and she added a little bit to the speech.
I’ll refer to her, to what she added: “When I was
about thirteen, I realized that this concept ofmutually assured destruction is really somethingthat is outrageous, and understood then how
important nuclear disarmament is.”So in our view, nuclear weapons cannot provide
security. They just bring risk, and this risk haveincreased today. We know with computer hacking,what can happen if someone is able to hack himself
inside command and control system of nuclear
weapons? We know that some terrorists havealready tried to get hold of nuclear material. So
there are many dangers, certainly.
So where do we stand now one year after the
adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons? We have all together followed the news.
Actually we have witnessed threats by somenuclear-armed states that they might use nuclear
weapons. We all know that practically all nucleararmed states and their programs are underway tomodernize their nuclear weapons. So instead of
stopping to add new nuclear weapons, new types arebeing tested, developed, and certainly this goestotally to the wrong direction.
On the Treaty, it looks much better, because we78

have 59 signatures and 14 ratifications. And
actually this is a very fast pace if you compare it toprevious to the last treaties dealing with nuclear
disarmament. When we go back 50 years ago, we’remuch quicker. And again it’s a good cooperation
between civil society, and I want to stress inparticular ICAN that has received much to our joy
the Nobel Peace Prize last year. And in many statesprocesses are underway leading to the ratification.
And we have to be fair. To ratify is not just a
political statement. To ratify means that you have to
adopt national legislations. You have many
countries to amend their penal codes because certain
activities could be under penal law. So it’s not
something that you can just do within a couple ofweeks, and we understand that this process takessome time. But we are in a very good course. Thereis no doubt whatsoever that it will reach 50
necessary ratifications for entry into force of thetreaty. When you see how much coverage the treaty
is getting from all sides, also from those who are notin favor, and you see the relevance -- that this is amajor undertaking.
It is really the time to look at the treaty because
all the other weapons of mass destruction have beenprohibited a long time ago -- chemical weapons,
biological weapons. And for me it was always very
strange that the most dreadful weapon of mass
destruction is not prohibited. It’s always the basisthat you have a prohibition and usually only then,the destruction and so on will come. So we know itwill take quite some time because the nuclear
weapon states have not come to the conclusion yetthat it will be better for their security not to havenuclear weapons. But I think we are making
progress, and with assistance together we hopefully
will reach our common aim, the total elimination of
nuclear weapons, and I hope to see the day when the
flame here in Hiroshima will not be burning.

university in Ireland, and now again as a diplomat.
And I think actually the experience that I’ve had asa historian is of huge benefit in trying to understandwhat’s happening at the moment, because this is thefirst disarmament treaty that has been negotiated in
20 years since the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty. So it’s very easy to lose perspective I think,on how disarmament treaties are negotiated, how
they enter into force, and what the initial reaction is
like. That tends to get lost with time.
So I’m going to take us back a little bit first to
the negotiation of the NPT. As Thomas mentioned,
the NPT celebrates its 50th anniversary since it was
open for signature in 1968. But in fact it’s 60 years
since the Irish Foreign Minister Frank Aiken first
introduced a resolution at the UN General Assembly
which proposed what he then called the nondissemination treaty for nuclear weapons. Why did
he do that? He did that mainly because at the time,
nuclear weapons were seen as the arena of great
powers. Ireland is a small island nation. It had
recently become a republic, celebrated as anindependent nation for just over thirty years, when
it joined the UN in 1955. And this was one of themost pressing issues formed at the time. Because
there was a realization which was shared by the
majority of states that nuclear weapons are not thearena of great powers. That they in fact are universal.
They affect the world. So by introducing the idea ofa non-dissemination treaty, or a non-proliferation
treaty, Ireland wanted to engage the international
community in that debate.
Now I say I bring us back to help us remember
what it’s like, because the initial reaction to the
TPNW was one of very forceful rejection by the
nuclear weapon states. But in 1958, that was
precisely the same reaction to Frank Aiken’s idea ofa nonproliferation treaty. In fact, the resolution in
the end wasn’t even tabled because of the resistancemainly from NATO states that said they would voteagainst the resolution. But before withdrawing theresolution, the Irish government called for a vote on
the preambular paragraph which stated that
nonproliferation is the cause of the world, that there
is an inherent danger in the proliferation of nuclear
weapons. And that was adopted. The following year,
in 1959, another resolution was introduced, and in
1960, another resolution was introduced. And
gradually, by 1961, a unanimous resolution was
introduced which formed the basis of what became
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1968. But
even then, even in 1968, you have to remember, asThomas again pointed out, that this wasn’t animmediate success story. There were 5 recognized
nuclear weapon states, but only 3 of them
immediately signed and ratified the treaty. In fact it
took almost another 25 years before the other 2

Jamie Walsh
Deputy Director, Disarmament and NonProliferation, Department of Foreign
Affairs & Trade
Ireland(Transcribed from oral presentation)It’s always very difficult to follow Thomas’s
remarks because he lays everything out so simply,
and especially when the microphone is not by mymouth, it makes it very difficult.
But what I hope to bring to this conversation isperhaps not so much my experience as a diplomat
but more of my experience as a historian. And I’ve
been working in disarmament for about 12 years,
first as a diplomat, and then as a lecturer at a79

nuclear weapon states eventually came on board. So
you have to acknowledge, I think, the process thattakes place in the negotiation of nuclear
disarmament treaties are not be disheartened,certainly by the type of rhetoric that is being
espoused by the nuclear weapon states in relation to
the TPNW.
I think the main thing to take away from it is thatthe debate itself does not belong to the great powersthat we have to grasp it, regardless of the size of thecountry. We have to grasp it, and realize that this isa multilateral, international issue.
It’s of course natural as well to be cautious. It isa major shift in terms of what this treaty proposes.
It proposes the elimination of nuclear weapons. But
it’s also important to remember where this treaty I
think fits into the disarmament and nonproliferation
regime itself. This isn’t, as some opponents of thetreaty have suggested, in any way contradictory to
the NPT. It is in fact fully complementary to the
NPT. It puts flesh as it were, on the bones of what
was in 1968 a very bare treaty. The NPT text itself
is quite slim and over the course of its history, it’s
been fleshed out on numerous occasions in terms of
its nonproliferation aspects, and certainly it’s auseful aspect as well. There are numerous regimes
for example associated with the nonproliferationside of the treaty. We have the Missile Technology
Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and
the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.
There is an alphabet soup of disarmament andnonproliferation acronyms which take almost 10
years to learn. And I think it’s important torecognize that the element that was neglected themost over the course of the NPT’s history has been
the disarmament. And what the TPNW does is thatit puts flesh on the bones of the disarmament Article
6 of the NPT.
And again I say the resistance to this is not new.
Whenever there is a bold or radical idea introduced-- the NPT itself was a radical idea -- there is always
resistance. And even in the course of the NPT’s
history, any attempt to push forward thedisarmament elements faced resistance. My
particular area of study was the multilateraldisarmament negotiation in the 1990s. The heart ofthis was of course the formation of the New Agenda
Coalition in 1998. This was seen as a hugely radical
movement at the time, and utterly rejected by the
nuclear weapon states -- utterly rejected by NATO.
Yes, within two years, the New Agenda Coalition
was operating - and operating smoothly - within theframework of the NPT itself, and eventually became
what was effectively the negotiating side of the nonnuclear weapon states that eventually agreed on thecelebrated 13 practical steps on an unequivocal
undertaking for nuclear disarmament.

But again that’s 18 years ago, so it’s quitedifficult to recall the type of arguments that weremade then. I’ve seen the speaking notes from theUnited States, France, UK and they are almost
identical in 1998 against the New Agenda Coalition
to what they are now to the TPNW. So it’s importantto remember that we can move past level ofresistance. And as the support for the treaty grows,
and it is growing, I think we will also see anormalization and acceptance that the TPNW itself
is a reality, it is now a part of the multilateral nuclear
disarmament and nonproliferation regime and it will
eventually enter into force certainly within, we hope,
the next two years.
Finally, I’d just like to say that the TPNW also
introduces a new direction for nuclear disarmament.
And it’s an exciting direction. As Thomas
mentioned, the security debate quite regularly andcertainly that is the case, has been the case, again if
we look from a historical perspective, the nuclear
weapon debate has almost entirely been a debate
about security. But that is not the only area that
nuclear weapons affect. We need to open up thatdebate beyond security. And that’s what Ireland andits partners in the international community havebeen trying to do in recent years to show that nuclear
weapons, in fact, have a huge impact in terms of
their impact on the environment. There are elementsof gender debate that should be included in the
nuclear weapons debate. The effect of ionizing
radiation on women and girls is far, far more
dreadful than it is on men, and the impact of nuclear
weapons on cultural heritage, of course is immense.
And someone recently remarked to me about thecelebrated sustainable development goals that thedetonation of a single nuclear weapon would in fact
obliterate all of our sustainable development goals.
So it’s something to keep in mind as we move
forward towards ratification. Something to keep inmind as we continue to fight for the total abolitionof nuclear weapons.
So I hope that brief historical context adds to thedebate, because I’m certainly conscious that there isvery little I can tell you activists in this room thatthey don’t know already.
In fact, the mostenriching experience for me has been to come here
and learn from you, so I look forward to that in our
discussion later.

80

by reimposing sanctions on Iran. This move blew inthe face of reason and threatening a successful
agreement that imposed unprecedented limitations
on Iran’s nuclear program.
In the era of President Trump, progressive
organizations in the United States are spread thin.
NGOs are working overtime to rise up against therelentless stream of our President’s abhorrent
policies and actions. Donald Trump is separating
children from their families at the border, andbanning immigrants based on their religion and thecolor of their skin. His second take for the Supreme
Court could overturn a fundamental right for
women in the United States. The United States isshaken by the shootings in schools and on the streetsthat outnumber sensible gun laws, and the police
brutality that kills innocent black and brown men,
women and children across our country.
But there’s hope. Last year, about a month
before the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima,
122 countries voted to adopt the first treaty to ban
nuclear weapons. It is a step in a right direction thatis compatible with the goals of the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty. The Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons is a powerful normative
assertion that nuclear weapons are not and neverwill be acceptable instruments of warfare. It is areaffirmation of the tireless efforts of the hibakusha.
It is the legal undertone to their cry of “never again.”
Several U.S. groups attended the negotiations
and have supported the treaty, including professors
and students at Princeton and Harvard University,
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Los Alamos
Study Group and the Arms Control Association.
At the Arms Control Association in Washington,
D.C., we are working on a number of additional
initiatives to advance arms control and disarmament.
We are encouraging the United States and Russia toextend the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty before it expires in 2021 and to renew
diplomatic efforts to resolve the compliance dispute
over the 1987 INF Treaty. We are working toadvance entry into force of the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT), including signature andratification by North Korea as part of thedenuclearization process, and by others, particularly
the United States, China, Israel and Iran. We
encourage all nuclear-armed states to reduce therole and the number of their nuclear weapons and
we encourage all states, including Japan, to reduce
their fissile material holdings. We underscore thecatastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear
weapons and the importance of reinforcing the norm
against their possession and use, including throughthe TPNW. We continue to support the Iran Nuclear
Deal and condemn President Trump’s foolishdecision to drop from it.

Alicia Sanders-Zakre
ArmsControl Association/ Campaign for
Peace, Disarmament and Common
Security
U.S.A.
First of all, I would just like to say what an honor
it is to be here in Japan surrounded by so many
dedicated nuclear abolition activists. I first heard thestories of the hibakusha as a college student inBoston. And I had the honor of hearing their
testimonies again this morning. It is theirheartbreaking experience of atomic warfare andtireless activism that inspires me to join their call to“never again” witness such a horrific event and towork for nuclear abolition.
In my remarks today I will discuss the state of
the nuclear disarmament movement in the UnitedStates and U.S. nuclear policy today.
It is with a heavy heart that I say that the global
nuclear disarmament enterprise is in a state of crisis.
And the nuclear disarmament movement in the
United States faces its own considerable challenges.
Nearly 50 years after the adoption of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty, the five states that signed
as nuclear weapons states have failed to give up
their weapons. Dramatic nuclear reductions havebrought global nuclear weapons arsenals down fromtheir Cold War peak. But, 15,000 nuclear weapons
remain today, enough to destroy the world manytimes over.
The United States is embarking on a 30-yearplan to rebuild its entire nuclear arsenal that will
cost upwards of $1.7 trillion dollars when adjusted
for inflation. The Trump administration’s 2018
Nuclear Posture Review is a step in the wrong
direction. It calls for building “more usable” newtypes of nuclear weapons, including a low-yieldsubmarine-launched ballistic missile and a lowyield submarine-launched cruise missile. What’s
almost worse is what the U.S. nuclear policy leaves
out. The United States shows little interest in
pursuing additional arms control or disarmament
agreements. The U.S. president still has the soleauthority to launch nuclear weapons. No country, letalone a strong democracy, should give its leader theuninhibited power to end the world.
U.S.-Russian relations are worse than they havebeen since the Cold War. Both the United States andRussia are moving to develop new types of nuclear
weapons. The United States alleges that Russia is in
non-compliance with the landmark arms control
agreement, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty
by developing and deploying treaty-prohibited
missiles. On May 8, President Trump withdrew
from the Iran Nuclear Deal, formerly known as the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and violated it81Across the United States, cities and states arevoting on resolutions calling for restricting theability of the president to launch nuclear weapons.
One such resolution passed in San Francisco,California in March. National legislation has been
introduced to curb Presidential sole nuclear launchauthority. Trump’s reckless behavior and alarming
temperament has one silver lining. It highlights thethreats of nuclear weapons and their use, and is acall to action for concerned citizens in the UnitedStates.
There is a whole new generation of young
people who are engaged and committed to making
the world a better place. In the United States, I am
inspired by passionate young folks advocating forthe environment, income equality, racial justice andan end to gun violence. There are not as many young
people speaking up about nuclear disarmament.
This is something we need to work on. A nuclear
explosion would not discriminate - it would destroy
the environment and kill people of all ages. Youngpeople understand the need for a more just andpeaceful world. We just have not shown them theconnection of nuclear injustice to other issues they
are passionate about.
As Yasmeen Silva, a young organizer with the
Beyond the Bomb campaign in the United Statesstated in June, our movement does not exist in a silo.
In the midst of a nuclear disarmament crisis, wehave been given a golden opportunity. We have apowerful normative and legal document demanding
disarmament in the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons. We have a fresh generation of
dedicated, smart and creative activists. We havenew tools, like social media, to educate, share andto inspire. We just need to connect the dots to movecloser to a world free of nuclear weapons.
Yes, the nuclear disarmament movement in the
United States faces real changes. But we also havefresh opportunities to take forward this crucial work.
We must continue to fight to sustain existing
agreements and push for more progressive policies.

A&H Bombs Movement
To begin with, I would like to briefly introduce
our movement. The first World Conference against
A and H Bombs was held on August 6 through 8,1955 in Hiroshima. This conference is, therefore,
63 years old now and marks its 64th anniversary.
The atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in August 1945. Why, then, was thefirst conference held 10 years after the atomic
bombings? From the critical reflection of the past
war of aggression, Japan promulgated its
Constitution declaring that Japan renounces war asa means to settle international conflicts, that it does
not maintain land, sea or air force and that it lives inpeace. But under the full, direct occupation by theUS, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers
issued an order to ban reporting on the damage of
the A-bombings, and documents and photos
reporting it were confiscated. The occupation forces
declared that all those who would die due to thebombings had already died and that at present noone was suffering from radiation (statement ofGeneral Thomas Farrell on Sept. 6 1945). After that,neither the occupation nor the Japanese
Government did anything to help the people
suffering from the bombings. It actually barred any
relief effort.
It was not until March 1954 that things changed.
The H-bomb test conducted by the US forces on
Bikini Atoll in the Pacific on March 1st caused
tremendous damage and contamination fromradiation. The Japanese people, as soon as theylearned of it, began raising their voices in protest
and rose in action at the grassroots level.
Assemblies of cities, towns and villages and even
the Houses of the Diet passed resolutions, andsignature collection demanding a ban on atomic andhydrogen bombs started everywhere in the country.
On the basis of this development the first World
Conference against A and H Bombs was convenedin August 1955. The signatures collected by the firstday of the conference reached 31,583,123. This set
the prevention of nuclear war, a ban on and theelimination of nuclear weapons, and relief for andsolidarity with the Hibakusha, the A-bomb
survivors, as the three basic objectives of the
movement.
It was in this conference that the Hibakusha
stood united to speak of their suffering and call forthe elimination of nuclear weapons. It was also inthis conference that the people rose in action toprovide relief for them. This role of the conference
remains unchanged until now.

Hiroshi Taka
Representative Director
Japan Council against A & H Bombs(Gensuikyo)
First of all, I would like to welcome two
Government representatives, Ambassador Thomas
Hajnoczi of Austria and Mr. Jamie Walsh from theGovernment of Ireland, along with Ms. Alicia
Sanders-Zakre from the Arms Control Association,
to this Forum. Thank you for joining in the panel.

Dialogue with Government Representatives:
The World Conference began to invite
representatives of national governments in 2000, at

1. The World Conference and the Japanese Ban82the turn of the millennium, and much later from theUN, to develop “dialogues between governments,
NGOs and grassroots movements”. Prior to that, we
had Ambassador Miguel Marin Bosch of Mexico in
1995, but since 2000 we have made it a systematic
program, laying emphasis on the governments thatstand in the forefront in the effort for nuclear
disarmament, such as the Non-Aligned Movement,
the New Agenda Coalition, and so forth.

A&H Movement when it was born, and gave thename “World Conference for the Prohibition of
A&H Bombs” to this conference. This is an accuratetranslation of the name of our conference. Given
that the conference has called for the totalprohibition of nuclear weapons all throughout its
history, I wholeheartedly welcome the birth of theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Secondly, this conference is being held amidst
ongoing change here in Northeast Asia, from thedanger of nuclear and military confrontation to theprospect of building a regime of peace, free of
nuclear weapons.
The North and South Korean leaders on April
27 agreed on a joint statement that foresees thedenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the end of
the Korean war and the establishment of peace, andthe reunification of Korea. Following this, thesummit talks between North Korea and the USA,
held on June 12, agreed on the denuclearization of
the Peninsula, peace and North Korea-US relations,thus making steps forward.
We cannot think of this change without calling tomind the role of the peoples’ movements and the
public support in Asia and the rest of the world,
including the historical struggle of the Korean
people for democratization, which led to the birth of
the Moon Jae-in Government. We have a lot of
Korean friends with us in this conference, including
two Korean A-bomb victims. Together we have tograsp the chance for change and make clear the role
we want Japan to play to promote this change andwhat action we should take to bring it about.

2. Focal point of the 2018 World Conference:
the TPNW and the Denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula and the Challenge of theJapanese Movement to form a broad coalition
Now let me talk about the features of this year’sWorld Conference.
Firstly, as seen in the adoption of the Treaty on
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) andthe continuing effort for its entry into force, ourconference is meeting at a time of transition from an
era where the world is dominated by the force of afew superpowers to a time when the majority of
governments stand for the order of peace and justiceand civil society movements cooperate with one
another to build our future together.
At the UN conference last year, the TPNW wasadopted by the support of the overwhelming
majority: 122 governments in favor, as against one
vote in opposition. The representatives of thegovernments we have with us now played a pivotal
role in that process. The government of Ireland was
the only government that took the floor to make the
keynote statement at the organizational session held
on Feb. 16, 2017, which led to the TPNW
negotiation conference. It also maintained in thesessions in preparation for the last NPT Review
Conference that, just as the Non-Nuclear Weapon
States had to abide by all NPT articles, the Nuclear
Weapon States also had to implement their
obligation unconditionally and immediately, by
negotiating measures to eliminate nuclear weapons
and by bringing those negotiations to a conclusion.
The role played by the Austrian Government isalready familiar to us, thanks to Ambassador
Alexander Kmentt, who kindly joined us in the 2014
World Conference, Mr. Martin Krüger who werewith us in the 2017 World Conference, the Vienna
Conference on humanitarian consequences of theuse of nuclear weapons in December the same year,
and the “Humanitarian Pledge”. It is a governmentthat commands our respect.
The adopted treaty prohibited the development,
production, testing, possession, as well as use or
threat, the bringing-in, and all other actions
involving nuclear weapons. It set out the roadleading to their total elimination. As I said at the
beginning, our movement took the name of the Ban

3. Next steps towards the elimination of nuclear
weapons and the role of our movement
Then, what should we do? Already 59 states
have signed the TPNW and 15 have ratified it.
When 50 states have ratified it, the treaty will enter
into force in 90 days. When in force, the TPNW will
become international law. Even if governments thatcannot stop loving nukes refuse to sign it and thus
evade legal obligations, they will not be able toshirk from political and moral obligations, nor will
they be saved from stigma as states that rely on theworst, most inhumane weapons that the world has
together forbidden.
We also need to remind them that even if theyreject the TPNW, they cannot escape the principles
and objectives they have once agreed, such as:- To save succeeding generations from thescourge of war, and abide by the obligation to notuse force to resolve international conflict but settle
it by peaceful means. (UN Charter),- To seek to eliminate atomic and all otherweapons of mass destruction from national arsenals,(First resolution of the 1st UN General Assembly)83

- To pursue negotiations on effective measuresrelating to nuclear disarmament, and to fulfill their
responsibility to bring these negotiations to aconclusion, (Article 6 of the NPT & the ICJ decisionin 1996),- To fulfill the “unequivocal undertaking” toachieve complete elimination of their nuclear
arsenals, leading to nuclear disarmament (final
document of the 2000 NPT RevCom),- To make special efforts to establish aframework to create and maintain a world without
nuclear weapons (final document of the 2010 NPT
RevCom), and- To implement the resolution on the Middle
East nuclear weapon-free zone adopted by the 1995
NPT Review and Extension Conference.
All nuclear powers and the five Nuclear
Weapon States, in particular, have to fulfill their
responsibility to implement the promises they madeon innumerable occasions.

efforts are generating changes in Japan. In the
period leading to this World Conference, about 60%
of mayors out of a total of some 1700 municipalities
appended their signatures to the “Appeal of the
Hibakusha” for the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
In the same period, the number of local assemblies
that passed the resolution demanding that theJapanese Government sign the TPNW has reachedbeyond 300.
At present, our major effort is to build up the
support of the overwhelming majority, or a people’s
consensus for a ban on and the elimination of
nuclear weapons, and in the demand for theJapanese Government to honor Article 9 rather thandestroy it. To this end, it is essential to develop thewidest-possible cooperation and grassroots actions.
The signature campaign in support of the appeal
from the Hibakusha provides us with the best tool
for this.
Before concluding, I would like to add that on
July 31, the day before we left for Hiroshima, I had
a call from Setsuko Thurlow, a Hibakusha living in
Canada, who, along with Beatrice Fihn, delivered
the Nobel Lecture on behalf of ICAN on receiving
the Nobel Peace Prize last year. Knowing that the
representatives of the Austrian and Irish
Governments would be at this session, she wanted
me to convey her deep appreciation and solidarity
to them. She also addressed the young participants,saying, please study hard about the tragedies causedby the nuclear weapons as well as the way to abolishthem; it is your generation that have to move
forward toward the ray of light coming from a world
free of nuclear weapons.

4. The Role of Japan, the A-bombed country, andArticle 9
The Japanese movement has one more task tofulfill. A few weeks ago, we of Gensuikyo visitedthe foreign ministry to submit our proposal on
nuclear disarmament. In the talks, the chief of thedivision on arms control and disarmament asked us
skeptically if we really think that Japan could getalong without extended nuclear deterrence provided
by the United States. Apparently he had the nuclear
and missile development of North Korea andChina’s maritime advancement in mind. Yet, does
the real problem lie there?
The point is that Japan is a country that launcheda war of aggression against Asian countries andannexed the Korean Peninsula. It is also the country
that pledged the renunciation of war and thepeaceful settlement of international conflicts as aConstitutional principle, based on deep repentancefor past wrong conduct. It is, therefore, a basic
principle for Japan to abide by and implement its
Constitutional pledge regardless of North Korea’s
or China’s response.
In reality, however, Japan has sought to present
Asian countries as threats and blamed them on
every occasion. It railroaded war laws which
contradicted the Constitution, and even opposed thetreaty to ban nuclear weapons. Further, it has
rejected attempts to find a diplomatic solution to the
problem of the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula, saying that “it is a waste of time”. It flatly
refused the legitimate demands of the Okinawan
people, and is now attempting to destroy theConstitution.
But such outrages can no longer pass. Alongwith changes in Asia and the world, grassroots84

From Special Meetings and Workshops:(August 5)

Special Meeting 1: For a Nuclear Weapon-Free, Bases-Free Japanand Solidarity with Okinawa
there at all, gathers little if any attention in US
media. Given the overall size of this deployment,
Okinawa, even with its 30-some bases which
comprise 70% of Japanese territory used by the US
military, Okinawa I am sad to say, would be, in
American slang, “a drop in the water-bucket,”meaning, a very small part in something muchgreater. Add to that the general lack of information
about Okinawa --- the typical American might ask,
“Is it a part of Japan, or an independent country,
located exactly where?” I am afraid there is little
public appreciation in my country for the harm thesebases cause to the Okinawan people or their longsuffering efforts to have them removed. All ofwhich is to emphasize the importance of continued
resistance from the Okinawan people, support forthem from among the Japanese people as a whole,and the need for people like myself to carry back to
the US what we have learned about your struggle.
Let me also comment for a moment on thegeneral state of affairs in America today. Those of
us who worried how terrible things might become
under a Donald Trump presidency were wrong. It
is even far worse than we imagined. Not in ourwildest dreams did we anticipate the depth of his
attacks on our national polity and norms of oursociety. Nor did we recognize the depths ofcollusion to which the Republican Party would
descend in order to retain power. Although
American institutions are strong and great
resistance has emerged within our population, manyof us feel we are in a struggle for the survival of ourcountry as we have known it. To put it mildly,
Americans are at this time consumed with many
worries “close to home.”
Now, I need to say there is at least a tiny light inall this gloom, and that is the joint Base Closurestatement organized by my colleague Joseph
Gerson of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmamentand Common Security, and now being circulated forsignature by leaders from across the globe.
Originally issued in 2014 and signed by over 100 of
the world’s leading Scholars, Artists, and Activists,
it called for support of the Okinawan people in theirresistance to the planned construction of the new US

Jerald Ross
Campaign for Peace, Disarmament andCommon Security
U.S.A.
Statement for a Nuclear-free, Bases-free
Japan and Okinawa
Respectful greetings to our hosts, those gathered
here from across Japan, and especially to thecitizens of Okinawa Prefecture. My name is Jerry
Ross and I come from the United States where I livein the State of Massachusetts, near the city of
Boston.
It is a privilege to participate in this Special
Meeting but a source of remorse and embarrassment
as I have come to learn more about the actions of
my country in its vast military presence in Okinawa
and its continued exploitation of its land and people.
Let me say just a word about who I am and how
I came to be here today. I am NOT an expert on US
bases in Okinawa. When I was asked to participate
in this meeting as a visiting delegate from theUnited States, I was fortunate to receive a quick
tutoring in the issues from Dr. Joseph Gerson, who
IS an expert and a long-time friend and advocate of
the Okinawan people. Mostly I am here to learn,
but I will share what I suspect are common
perspectives in the United States regarding bases
abroad and a little of what is going on moregenerally in my country.
Unfortunately, I believe most Americans havevery little awareness of the number and cost of US
military installations around the world, and evenless understanding of their impact on the people andplaces in which they are located. Let me cite a few
figures you are all probably aware of: nearly 800
bases, in over 70 countries and territories, at a cost
ranging from $100 billion dollars a year, to nearly$200 billion if you include those in active warzones.
If bases are talked about at all, it is in the context of“forward staging” of men and material to “deter
aggression.” The credibility of such national
security claims, how those bases impact the lands
they are on, or the legality or morality of their being85

base at Henoko. It has now been updated and calls
for the closure of ALL US foreign military bases.
Addressed to President Donald Trump, Secretary of
Defense Mattis, and the US Congress, it details thefundamental reasons foreign military bases fail toserve American interests, actually increase US
security problems, and have a profoundly negative
impact on the land and people where they arelocated. The declaration stands as “an unequivocal
statement of support for the people of Okinawa intheir struggle for peace, dignity, human rights andprotection of their environment…”
We should all be inspired by the courage anddetermination of the Okinawan people. We at thisconference, in any way we are able, and theJapanese people as a whole, should support their
Okinawan brethren in their long nonviolent struggle
to remove these bases and recover their land andindependence.

Special Meeting 2: Non-Nuclear and Peaceful Korean Peninsula andAsia -- What Role Should Japan Play?
In addition, there are some uncertainty factors in
the Asia-Pacific region which cannot be ignored.
Non-traditional security threats such as terrorism,
natural disasters, transnational crime become more
prominent, some countries are undergoing hugepolitical and social transformation, economic
downward pressure, etc., these risk are closely
related with us, and will also profoundly affectpolitical and economic development of each other.

Chen Zhe
Institute of World Economics and Politics(IWEP), Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences (CASS)/ Chinese People’s
Association for Peace and Disarmament
China
China’s Asia-Pacific Security Concept andConstruction of a Community of Shared Future
for Mankind

II. A Brief of China's Nuclear Policy
It mainly includes nuclear disarmament andnon-proliferation.
China has consistently stood for the complete
prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear
weapons. China is firmly committed to a nuclear
strategy of self-defense. China has adhered to thepolicy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons at any
time and under any circumstance, and has made theunequivocal
commitment
that
we
will
unconditionally not use or threaten to use nuclear
weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or
nuclear-weapon-free zones. China does notparticipate in any form of nuclear arms race, has
never deployed nuclear weapons outside its own
territory, and will continue to keep our nuclear
capabilities at the minimum level required fornational security.
All nuclear-weapon states should fulfill in goodfaith obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),and publicly undertake not to seek permanent
possession of nuclear weapons. Countries with thelargest nuclear arsenals should continue to take thelead in making drastic and substantive reductions intheir nuclear weapons. The Comprehensive Nuclear
Test Ban Treaty should be brought into force at an
early date, and negotiations on the Fissile Material
Cut-off Treaty should start as soon as possible.
When conditions are ripe, other nuclear-weapon
states should also join the multilateral negotiations

I. International Pattern and the Situation in the
Asia-Pacific
From the perspective of international pattern,
negative factors like anti-establishment, antiglobalization and populism, are still widely existingin the current world. Meanwhile, economic
slowdown has become the new normal since theglobal financial crisis of 2008. In 2003-2008, theglobal economy growth was at an average annual
rate of 4.8%, compared with just 3.5% in 20112015.According to the IMF's forecast, the world
economy will grow at an average annual rate of
3.6% to 4% in 2016-2020.This shows that although
the world economic growth has recovered
somewhat, the slowdown is no longer a temporary
problem caused by the financial crisis. Under the
existing development model, low growth may
become the normal.
To promote peace and seek stability anddevelopment is the strategic goal and common
aspiration of most countries in the Asia-Pacificregion .Korean peninsula issue has beensignificantly improved in 2018, and the leaders of
US and DPRK achieved a historic meeting.
Although the denuclearization process on thepeninsula still needs time and faces a series of
institutional problems, and it may even be repeatedin the middle, peace and stability in Northeast Asia
will be maintained for some time.
86

on nuclear disarmament. To attain the ultimate goalof complete and thorough nuclear disarmament, theinternational community should develop, at an
appropriate time, a viable, long-term plan composedof phased actions, including the conclusion of aconvention on the complete prohibition of nuclear
weapons.
All nuclear-weapon states should abandon the
nuclear deterrence policy based on first use of
nuclear weapons and take credible steps to reduce
the threat of nuclear weapons. All nuclear-weapon
states should make an unequivocal commitment of
unconditionally not using or threatening to use
nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states
or nuclear-weapon-free zones, and conclude alegally-binding international instrument in thisregard. In the meantime, nuclear-weapon statesshould negotiate and conclude a treaty on no-firstuse of nuclear weapons against one another.
On non-proliferation, China believes that thefundamental purpose of non-proliferation is tosafeguard and promote international and regional
peace and security, and non-proliferation measures
should be conducive to achieving this goal. China
takes an active part in the international and regional
non-proliferation process, supports the UN in
playing its due role in the non-proliferation field andhas joined all the international treaties and relevantinternational organizations in the non-proliferation
field.

some countries while leaving the rest insecure, stillless should we seek "absolute security" of oneself at
the expense of the security of others. We should
respect and accommodate the legitimate security
concerns of all parties. To beef up a military alliancetargeted at a third party is not conducive tomaintaining common security.
Comprehensive security means upholding
security in both traditional and non-traditional fields.
We should take into full account the historicalbackground and reality concerning regional security,
adopt a multi-pronged and holistic approach, andenhance regional security governance in acoordinated way. While tackling the immediate
security challenges facing the region, we should
also make plans for addressing potential security
threats.
Cooperative security means promoting thesecurity of both individual countries and the region
as a whole through dialogue and cooperation. The
countries involved should engage in sincere and indepth dialogue and communication to increasestrategic mutual trust, reduce mutual misgivings,
seek common ground while resolving differences
and live in harmony with one another. We shouldbear in mind the common challenges and actively
foster the awareness of meeting security challenges
through cooperation. And we should expand thescope of and explore new ways for cooperation, andpromote peace and security through cooperation.
Sustainable security means that the countries
involved need to focus on both development andsecurity to realize durable security. All the parties
should focus on development, actively improve
people's lives and narrow the wealth gap so as to
cement the foundation of security. We should
advance common development and regional
integration, and push for sound interactions and thesynchronized progress of regional economic andsecurity cooperation in order to promote sustainablesecurity through sustainable development.

III. China's Security Concept in the Asia-PacificRegionIn the Asia-Pacific region, especially in East
Asia, the possibility of direct war between major
powers is very low, among which the primary factor
is asymmetric nuclear deterrence structure in East
Asia. This is one of the core theoretical foundations
that we assert that old concepts such as cold war
mentality and ideological struggle are outdated.
In the face of the new international situation andchallenges, countries should strengthen solidarity
and cooperation in the spirit of openness andinclusiveness, make security vision innovations,work to improve regional security systems andexplore a new path for Asia-Pacific security.
At the Fourth Summit of the Conference on
Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in
Asia (CICA) held in May 2014, Chinese President
Xi Jinping called for a concept of common,comprehensive, cooperative and sustainablesecurity, and a path of security featuring wide
consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits
in the Asia-Pacific region.
Common security means respecting andensuring the security of each and every country
involved. We cannot just have the security of one or㸬Some Thoughts on the Community of SharedIV㸬
Future for Mankind
In the field of global governance, there has been
more research from the perspective of economics
but less from political science or other disciplines.
There are more researches on specific fields or
issues, but less on basic theories or conceptual
categories. In particular, it lacks a complete logic
analysis framework and a set of concept system thatconcentrates theory and facilitates dialogue andcommunication.
In reality, many countries have been deeply
aware that traditional global governancemechanisms have been unable to cope with various
complicated global crises or problems. Both in87

solutions can we better solve a series of global
problems.
Therefore, I think this activity is very
meaningful. In fact, everyone including organizersof this conference, participants from all over theworld, CPAPD who sent me here, we have madegreat efforts and even experienced difficulties that
could not be understood by ordinary people. Manyof the topics in this conference are essentiallyaiming to a common goal, which is more peacefuland secure. This ‘secure ’means common,comprehensive, cooperative and sustainablesecurity, not unilateral, temporary security in one
country or field. For this is a community of shared
future.

theory and in practice, time calls for us to consider
the future and destiny of international relations fromthe perspective of a larger proposition.
The concept of a community of Shared future
for mankind covers a wide range, but it isinseparable from the themes of peace anddevelopment. The United Nations concept ofsustainable development has been deeply rooted in
the hearts of people, but there are not contents likesustainable security in United Nations governancemechanism. It is just because we have been focusing
on development too much but neglected security forlong time, that many problems have not been solved,
which resulted in such a serious "global governancedeficit". Only by adopting new wisdom andWorkshop 6: Cutback on Military Expenses to Realize a Peacefuland Decent Human Life
working people, not the wealthy. UE has longsupported the labor movement promoting its own
foreign policy ideas based on diplomacy andlabor solidarity. We are proud to be a founder ofU.S. Labor Against the War, which advances sucha policy. Our government should not destabilize
democracy on behalf of billionaires. It
should promote peace, jobs, and justice for all.”This same resolution goes on to emphasize
some important pieces for our topic here
today. Among other things, UE resolves to demand“the U.S. government invest in peace andbuild economic security by:a. Reducing the military budget while
improving wages, healthcare, and pensions ofsoldiers and veterans;
b. Reappropriating defense savings intotransportation,
housing,
healthcare,education, renewable resource development, orother peaceful infrastructure;c. The creation of a fund to guarantee any
worker or soldier displaced by conversion froma war economy to a peace economy up to four years’
living allowance and educational expenses.”
We see these steps as very practical ways toimprove the lives of working people in the
US through better access to resources they currently
lack, and also a way to improve the lives of workers
abroad who currently suffer because of our military
aggression. The reality is that our imbalanced
spending has created conditions that perpetuate thestatus quo: by investing in the military rather thanthe public school system, working class kids leavesecondary school poorly equipped to enter theworkforce. One option, like here in Japan, is toattend university but to incur a great amount of debt

Kari Thompson
United Electrical Radio and MachineWorkers of America (UE)U.S.A.
It’s an honor to be here with you all talking
about peace in a city that has suffered sogreatly from war. As an American, I express mydeepest condolences to the people of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki for my government’s shameful
behavior 73 years ago. We are here today tothink practically about how we can prevent suchtragedies from ever occurring again.
I am here on behalf of the United Electrical,
Radio and Machine Workers of America, which
I will refer to as “UE” today. UE is an American
trade union representing a variety of workers acrossthe country, from manufacturing to industrial
laundries, from food co-op workers tosocial workers. We began in 1936 on the principles
that all working people must unite as equals
against their bosses—regardless of their race,
gender, religion, or political beliefs—or the bosses
would continue to exploit workers based on these
false divisions. Though we were a founding
member of the CIO, the Congress of Industrial
Organizations, we left that body of trade unions
when they no longer supported these principles.
In time, our independence has allowed us to berooted to our principles that workers’ rights
are human rights, and this extends to the right to live
a life free from war and violence. As part of ourresolution “For Jobs, Peace and a Pro-Worker
Foreign
Policy”
states,“Foreign
andmilitary policies should defend the interests of88

in doing so. The other main option is to enlist in the
military, where they will earn wage and have
healthcare provided to them and their families.
Unfortunately, this system harms most often peopleof color, whose communities have been
continuously under-resourced due to systemic
racism.
Additionally in this resolution, UE resolves tosupport “the struggle of our sister union Zenroren tohalt the repeal of Article 9 of Japan’s Peace
constitution, to close all U.S. military bases in Japan,
and to halt all U.S. efforts to convert the Japanese
Self-Defense Force to offensive purposes.” This
includes joining the call for an end to theunnecessary and ecologically devastating proposed
expansion of the base in Okinawa.
But what good are these words if we don’t doanything with them? In UE, our resolutions are juststarting points for further work with our members.
First, all our resolutions, including this one, arediscussed and voted on democratically at our
national conventions every two years. Following
the event, we share these resolutions with ourmembers in a variety of ways, including using themto inspire other programming.
One of our most successful ways of building an
understanding of international solidarity andthe need for peace among workers regardless ofborders is to get our members interacting withother international workers, in person if possible. A
prescient example of this occurred just a
few months ago.
Our partners in US Labor Against the War, that
I mentioned earlier, began their work focusing on
the wars in the Middle East, but they are expanding
their mission. In May, this organization brought agroup of diverse rank-and-file trade unionists to
Korea to visit with the KCTU. UE was proud tosend a member on this delegation to learn more
about the constant threat felt by the Korean people
because of the US’s military posture on thepeninsula. Our member, Darrion Smith from North
Carolina, marched in the May Day parade in Seoul,
which was really fun for him. But he also visited thedemilitarized zone and met with workers whosefamilies had been torn apart by the war, which wasemotionally wrenching for him.
This trip had been in the works for many months,
but its timing was auspicious. Just as the group was
preparing to depart, UE, and I’m sure many of thosein this room, heartily welcomed the Panmunjom
Declaration as a step towards peace. This set a great
backdrop for the trip, inspiring hope that it ispossible to make progress towards peace. In UE, wefeel it’s important to acknowledge that the goals
laid out in the declaration would not have occurred

without the Candlelight Movement. The people
took to the street to demand an end to corruption anda path towards peace, and without this pressure,these advancements would not have been made.
I should note that we were very excited by therelease of former KCTU President Han Sanggyun, who was so instrumental in leading that
democratic uprising. His release occurred shortly
after the US Labor Against the War delegation
returned to the States.
Now that he is back, Darrion has used his
experiences on this trip to talk with hiscoworkers about the need for peace anddenuclearization. This isn’t to imply that prior to thetrip Darrion was a war hawk—of course not. But
meeting Koreans first hand, understanding theirsense of dread at the expansion of the US militarypresence on their lands, it raised the profile ofthese issues for him. This is one practical way that
we grow our movement.
The connections don’t end there. Darrion is a
public sector worker for the Department of
Health and Human Services in North Carolina. Thismeans he knows firsthand what his coworkers
and the everyday people they serve could do withan expanded budget. If we weren’t spending moneyon expansion of a missile defense system, we could
pay Darrion and his coworkers a living wage. If weweren’t paying to stabilize the soil of a wetland sothat we could put a helicopter pad there, we could
improve the staffing ratios at the state-run hospitals
and clinics where our members work, improving thecare residents receive. If we weren’t investing in a
new communication system for our missile program,
we could provide quality healthcare not just to ourveterans, but to all people living in the U.S.
In UE, we can see the path that will allow us todivest from the increasingly corporatedriven military and instead invest in each other. And
through such a change, we can create a world where
we will have no more Hibakusha.
----------------------------------------------Other examples:- Takashi Morizumi’s photography exhibit“Strange
Beauty:Autoradiography
fromFukushima” at 2017 UE convention.
- Labor Notes panel on Asian Unions fighting
Militarism: representatives from Zenroren (Keisuke
Fuse), KCTU (Kim Kyoung-ja and Ryu Mikyung),and Filipino scholar Ligaya Lindio McGovern

89

Closing Plenary
2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs - Hiroshima(August 6)

means that nuclear weapons and their development
pose a risk to the world's people, as well as todevelopment, the environment, global health andfood security.
We must also remember that nuclear weapons
are the most devastating weapons of mass
destruction, and they are the only weapons of thistype that, until July 7, 2017, had not been explicitly
banned through any multilateral legal instrument of
global scope.

Speeches by Representatives of
National Governments:
Carlos Fernando Almada López
Ambassador to Japan
United Mexican States
It is an honor for me to participate in thecommemoration of the 73rd anniversary of theatomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and9 August 1945, which left more than 200,000
people dead and whose terrible and direhumanitarian consequences are still wreaking havoc.
Mexico pays homage to the Japanese people,
particularly to the survivors of the atomic bombs(Hibakushas) who their strength and testimony havebeen fundamental in raising awareness of thedevastating effects of nuclear weapons andtransmitting the message that this experience should
not be repeated under any circumstances by any
actor.
Despite the efforts made by some of those whohave nuclear weapons, it is alarming that there arestill more than 15,000 nuclear weapons, of which
about 1,800 are still on high alert. This is anexcessive expenditure for the countries involved. It

Ladies and gentlemen:
Since the first nuclear detonation, 73 years ago,
Mexico unilaterally and irreversibly adopted thedecision to never develop nuclear weapons or allow
the installation of nuclear weapons from anothercountry in our territory. That is why our
Constitution states that nuclear energy only can beused for peaceful purposes. Today, most of theinternational community supports this cause.
The Treaty of Tlatelolco, which celebrated its
51st anniversary this year, is clear proof of this. The
Latin American and Caribbean States collectively
decided to abandon our personal interests for thecommon good. This political will today is thefoundation for the complete banning of nuclear
weapons.

90

Fifty years after its adoption, the Treaty of
Tlatelolco demonstrates that a world free of nuclear
weapons is not an unattainable dream. The
existence of four other nuclear-weapon-free zones,
plus Mongolia, attest to this reality on more thanhalf of the planet's surface.
But this responsibility is not solely for themember countries of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones.
All States Parties to the Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), thecornerstone of non-proliferation and nuclear
disarmament, must continue to strive for its
universality, incorporating States that are yet tocomply so as to fulfil the commitment of nuclear
disarmament.
That is why Mexico welcomes the adoption of
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW) on 7th July 2017, which will prohibit the
production, possession, use and transfer of nuclear
weapons to States that might decide to accede to it.
The TPNW is a manifestation of the opinion of
the vast majority of States that nuclear weapons, farfrom providing security, due to the catastrophic
humanitarian consequences of their detonation, arean existential threat to humanity.
The Treaty is consistent with Mexico's
recognized and broad diplomatic tradition of
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This
Treaty strengthens the legal framework establishedby the 1968 NPT and the Treaty of Tlatelolco,
which established the first Nuclear Weapons Free
Zone in Latin America and the Caribbean in 1967.
The TPNW will not replace the NPT; on thecontrary, it is consistent with the obligation set out
in Article VI of the NPT, which explicitly states
that: "each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes topursue negotiations in good faith on effective
measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms
race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament,
and on a treaty on general and complete
disarmament under strict and effective international
control." In any case, the two instruments willcomplement each other, thus strengthening the nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament regime.
The treaty will join other international
instruments and will be a key part of the efforts tomove towards nuclear disarmament.
It is our historic and collective responsibility toensure that such attacks as those on Hiroshima andNagasaki never repeated. That is why my country is
ready to continue to play a key role in the actions
promoted by the international community.

Thomas Hajnoczi
Director for Disarmament, Arms Control
and Non-Proliferation, Federal Ministry
for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
Austria
It is with great humility that I address you here
today. There is no more meaningful venue to talkabout the need to eliminate nuclear weapons thanhere. I bow before the hundreds of thousands ofvictims of the nuclear bombing 73 years ago andbefore the Hibakushas and their descendants andwant to pay tribute to them. I always felt that we
owe it to them to finally prohibit nuclear weapons.
Their suffering and resolve guided us. The Treaty
on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a reward
for their untiring commitment and a first tangible
step towards the “never again”.
My country, Austria, was together with ahandful of other committed countries and very
importantly civil society leading the diplomatic
process that led to the adoption of the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons a year ago. Often I
am asked how a small Western European country
like Austria could take the lead in a political processthat meets criticism by the major powers. The
answer is simple: We have ethical principles andstand for them. One of our priorities in foreign
policy is the protection of civilians. Therefore
Austria has been also instrumental in bringing about
the anti-personnel mine ban convention. In the samevein we are trying to bring the issue of the use of
explosive weapons with wide area effects inpopulated areas on the international agenda. When
92 per cent of the victims are civilians, we cannot
just sit and watch, we have to speak up and act.
In the case of nuclear weapons close to 100 per
cent of victims are civilians and the casualties canonly be measured in hundreds of thousands or
millions. The catastrophic humanitarian impact of
nuclear weapons has of course been evident eversince 1945. It is saddening that this has notprevented a nuclear arms race which has left us witha legacy of around 14.500 nuclear weapons today,
sufficient to wipe out humankind several times over.
What is more, the nuclear build up continues, newnuclear weapons are under development andbillions of dollars go into modernization programsof all nuclear armed States instead of being used formaking the world a better place to live for theunderprivileged billions of people on this planet.
This behavior runs counter to the disarmament
obligations that have been taken by all States parties
to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. So theprofessed commitment of the nuclear armed States91

to the objective of the total elimination of nuclear
weapons lacks credibility.
What are the reasons for this state of affairs?
There must be a myth that some people attach tonuclear weapons. Some politicians think that it is
the unparalleled destructiveness of nuclear weapons,
either their own or those of allies, that provides
security to their countries. This is a most dangerous
strategy. We all know that the use of a nuclear
weapon would lead to a nuclear counterattack fromthe other side. How can you make your country
more secure by creating the risk that high numbersof your citizens would be killed? Ultimately, basing
your security on the nuclear threat can result in afull-fledged nuclear exchange ending human life on
this planet. So nuclear weapons are not only adanger to the security of the other country, but
clearly a danger to the security of your own country
and, indeed, mankind as such.
Proponents of nuclear weapons argue that
nuclear weapons do not exist to be used, but only tosecure peace by their very existence as a tool of
threatening that would not be used. This line ofargumentation opens up to questioning the utility of
nuclear weapons. When everyone assumes that theywould not be used, why should anybody feelthreatened by nuclear weapons? So how could they
provide security?
In contrast, when nuclear weapons areperceived as a means of warfare that really could be
used, the first strike of the enemy would try to takethem out, if there would not have been already apreventive strike. Therefore we are living in a world
with “launch on alarm”. The slogan “use them orlose them” echoes the pressure to attack with
nuclear weapons as quickly as possible in the earlyphase of a military confrontation. As historic
evidence suggests, a technical error in thesurveillance system could trigger the launching of
missiles with nuclear warheads.
Over the last few years, significant new insights
into the humanitarian consequences of nuclear
weapons have emerged. Much of the evidence waspresented to the public on the occasion of theVienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of
Nuclear Weapons in late 2014. On one hand, it was
shown in which ways the impact of any nuclear
explosion reaches much further in space and lasts
much longer in time, than was assumed previously.
The secondary effects of nuclear explosions likenuclear winter due to the masses of ashes in thestratosphere would cause millions of people tostarve even in faraway regions and on othercontinents. On the other hand, it was shown thattoday a significant risk of a nuclear explosion
actually occurring exists. Remember that for
instance in comparison with the Cold War period,

nowadays we are faced with a larger number ofnuclear armed actors whose interactions with eachother appear ever more difficult to predict. Adding
to the danger of an intentional use of nuclear
weapons, the risk of an unintentional nuclear
explosion is real as a number of accidents haveshown over the years. We had good luck that until
now we had no unintended nuclear explosions, but
the more years go by, the higher the probability thatsuch an accident will actually happen. And the riskof a nuclear weapon explosion is augmenting. Just
think of computer hacking into nuclear weapon
systems or terrorists getting hold of nuclear
weapons.
The continued existence of some 14.500 nuclear
weapons has also a negative influence on nonproliferation efforts. There is no credibility for
nuclear armed States to promote non-proliferation,
when they are not convincing the world that they arein the process of eliminating their own nuclear
weapons. As long as nuclear armed States areunderlining that they need nuclear weapons for theirown security, other States will believe them andseek themselves to get nuclear weapons for theirown security. Especially in zones of conflicts voices
are heard that demand to develop nuclear weapons.
And the more States would possess nuclear
weapons, the more insecure the world would be.
Fortunately, the overwhelming majority ofStates has taken a conscious decision not to seek
nuclear weapons for their security. Far more than
100 States have joined nuclear weapon free zones
and 122 States have adopted the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons last year. We seemore and more States signing and ratifying thislandmark treaty and it is well on its way towards
entry into force in the foreseeable future. The
overwhelming majority of States has chosen life
without the dangling sword of nuclear annihilation
over a culture of death by nuclear incineration. In
those countries that still believe that they depend on
nuclear weapons for their protection a change ofmindset is possible. The Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons certainly does not detract fromthe security of any State. On the contrary, a nuclear
weapon free world as the treaty’s objective will bea safer and more secure world for everybody
without exception. In democracies the government
and ultimately the population can bring about a neworientation of policy regarding nuclear weapons. It
is up to all of us. We owe it out of respect for all
who died as result of nuclear weapons and we owe
it to the future of our children.

92them. There is only a record that says 2,300
unidentified people were cremated there.
140,000 people are said to have died in
Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki by the end of theyear, and 42% of them is classified as missing.
My father was rescued from under a collapsed
school building about 1 kilometer from the
hypocenter and was helped by two soldiers to comehome. He was covered with blood all over the bodydue to wounds caused by fragments of broken glass.
My eldest sister, who was bombed at Hiroshima
Station, 2 kilometers from Ground Zero, came backhome on the evening of the next day. She got burnsin the neck and the back. But we had no medicine
to treat their burns.
My father was lying down and groaning and mysister only kept crying out in pain, unable to lie
down with upper half of her body naked and sore.
But it was lucky for them to come back home.
A good friend of mine in the neighborhood was
waiting with her brothers and sisters for her motherto come home. On the day after the bombing, theirmother came back. She looked like a moving blacklump crawling into the house. She collapsed anddied when she finally got home, in front of herchildren. At another neighbor’s home, the motherlooked for her missing 13-year-old daughter around
Hiroshima City with lunch box every day but was
unable to find her.
The atomic bomb is an inhumane weapon thatcruelly takes away the lives of untold number ofpeople indiscriminately and destroys cities andenvironment with heat rays, blast and radioactivity.
The survivors continue to live with constant anxiety
and pain, physically and mentally.
The Hibakusha movement continued for morethan 60 years calling for no such tragedy to berepeated and to promote “No atomic bombs” and “apeaceful world without war or nuclear weapons”. I
am grateful to all of you who have been extending
support to the Hibakusha movement. And I call on
you to work together for the abolition of nuclear
weapons.

Special Program: 73 Years of the ABombing: From the A-Bombed City ofHiroshima:
Yamada Reiko
Hibakusha of Hiroshima/Vice President,
Tokyo Federation of A-Bomb Survivors
Organizations (Toyukai)
I believe that all of you in attendance today have
deeply learned about the theme of the World
Conference, “For a Nuclear Weapon-Free, Peacefuland Just World” over the past three days.
At 8:15 am, 73 years ago, when the first-evernuclear weapon was dropped on Hiroshima, I was
playing on the ground of Koi Elementary School,
2.5 km from Ground Zero. I was 5th grader and 11
years old.
It was a sweltering morning. The sun was
scorching and there were no clouds in the sky.
“Look, a B29 is coming!” a boy shouted, and I
looked up at the sky and saw the silver-shining B29
bomber flying high in the blue sky, drawing a whitearc with its vapor trail. “That’s pretty,” I thought.
The next moment there was a blinding white flash.
As I began to rush to the air-raid shelter, the hotsand blew strong against my back. I overturned on
the ground. I reached the shelter to find a crowd ofpeople from the neighbourhoods. There was noroom left in the shelter. While waiting outside, we
got drenched from the sudden rain, which we later
learned to be the radioactive “Black Rain”. We
were wet and shivering with cold. The sunlight
was blocked by the hanging heavy gray clouds.
My town did not get burned. I saw so many
people with injuries and burns escaped from thearea near the hypocenter and filled the roads.
(Around this time of that day, the situation was likethis.)
And those who fell on the road under thescorching sun were lying upon another, died
unattended two or three days later.
you
you cry, but there is no outlet for your tears
you scream, but there are no lips to becomewords
you try to struggle, but your fingers have no skinto graspyou(From ‘At a Field-Dressing Station’, Poems of theAtomic Bomb by Toge Sankichi)

It is from a famous poem by “atomic poet” Toge
Sankichi.
In my schoolyard, those bodies were collected
and burned like garbage even without identifying

93

at the things left behind by war victims anddisplayed at the peace museum and other evidencesof what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki 73
years ago. I would like you to take back home thetrue stories and share them with others. It will be
golden opportunities to collectively reflect on what
would happen if a nuclear weapon were used again.
Please imagine what would have happened if
you had been in Hiroshima on August 6, 73 years
ago. Look up the sky of Hiroshima and imagine a
B-29 flying in over the city and dropping an atomic
bomb. What is the possibility do you think for anuclear weapon to be used anywhere in the world?
It would go up and down like seesaw as theinternational situation change, wouldn’t it?
Most regrettable is that we are unable to counton the Japanese government for the abolition of
nuclear weapons.
We human beings cannot live on withoutcompletely eliminating nuclear weapons, the mostdeadly weapons from the earth. The ban treaty was
adopted but we still need to see what will follow,
including the stance each nuclear weapons state andcountry depending on “nuclear umbrella” will adopt,
especially in the relevant international fora such as
the upcoming UN General Assembly. Let us keepon remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki 73 years
ago, deeply appreciating the preciousness of peace,and continuing to raise our voice to demand theabolition of nuclear weapons.

Mimaki Toshiyuki
Representative Director
Japan Confederation of A-and H-BombSufferers Organizations(Nihon Hidankyo)
I am a representative director of Nihon
Hidankyo and live in Hiroshima. I was born in 1942
in Shimura, Itabashi Ward, Tokyo. Following theGreat Tokyo Air Raid, I moved to Hiroshima, myfather’s hometown, and suffered the atomic
bombing.
Last year I visited the United Nations in New
York with Mr. Takakusaki and Ms. Tsuchida of
Gensuikyo. We were able to deliver 2.96 million
signatures in support of the Appeal of the
Hibakusha to Ms. Elayne Whyte, Chairperson of the
UN conference to negotiate a treaty to prohibit
nuclear weapons and Ms. Nakamitsu Izumi, UN
High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. I
would like to take this opportunity to extend myappreciation for all the support we received toaccomplish this mission.
Since the negotiations at the NPT Review
Conference had broken down, we Hibakusha had
almost lost our prospects for the abolition of nuclear
weapons. Two years ago, however, as our ultimate
attempt, we launched the “International Signature
Campaign in support of the Appeal of the
Hibakusha for the Elimination of Nuclear
Weapons”.
In Hiroshima Prefecture, we are working in highspirit to collect by 2020 1.4 million signatures
representing a half of the total population of theprefecture.
As the average age of Hibakusha has exceeded
82 years, I feel our activity is declining. The numberof Hibakusha, said to be 150,000 now, will go down
to less than 50,000 within 10 years. I do not want tofinish my life without making sure that all nuclear
weapons are removed.
In this regard, I would like to urge young people
to realize how horrifying nuclear weapons are sothat they join us in the struggle for a world without
such weapons. High school student peace
ambassadors are really active collecting signaturesand making efforts to get their call heard outside
Japan. We Hibakusha will continue to work, trying
to take up the challenge of passing the torch to ouryoung successors.
In the prewar period, education was used toencourage young people to go to war. In the 21st
century, education should inspire young people tobuild a country of peace, free of nuclear weapons.
You have come from all over Japan to join thisconference in Hiroshima. I would like you to look

Ishida Nanako
Graduate of Hiroshima Municipal
Motomachi High School, Class of 2018
Thank you for the introduction. My name is
Ishida Nanako, graduate of Hiroshima Municipal
Motomachi High School, General Course, Creative
Expression Program.
I would like to tell you about the “Paintings of
the Atomic Bomb”. This is a project in which artists
paint based on the Hibakushas’ testimonies. It aims
to assist the Hibakushas when they share their
testimonies at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Museum, so that the audience can better understand.
Motomachi High School has participated in thisproject for the past 11 years.
When I first found out about the Paintings of theAtomic Bomb shortly after entering high school, I
couldn’t decide whether to participate or not. I
wasn’t sure if it was something I can do, and I asked
my family and teachers for advice.
They told me “It’s better to regret doing it thanto regret not doing it.” I started to think “That’s right.
If I’m going to regret, it may be as well to regret

94after trying it!” Encouraged by many people, I
decided to participate in this project. It was goodthat I made the decision, but it was the first time forme to make a picture of what I hear. I was worriedso much about whether I could portray the survivors’
stories.
With such feelings of anxiety, I met the firstsurvivor I would be working with, Mr. Yamamoto
Sadao. When I first met him and heard his accountin person, I honestly couldn’t imagine what it was
like, and rather than feeling scared I felt shocked.
The scene I painted is the fireball that he saw fromthe Eastern Drill Ground, which was located to thenorth of the present Hiroshima station. This is anarea that I know very well. I used to walk nearby as
my commute to high school. In this area where I
have walked through daily, his friends once lay
strewn on the ground as you see in this painting. The
massive, pink ball of fire appeared behind
Hiroshima Station. I imagined all of these things
actually happened in my own backyard. It was when
I finally felt fear. So many people had collapsed inagony, in my very familiar landscape.
It wasn’t my first time listening to a survivor’s
testimony, but in order to make a painting out of it,
I needed to ask more details that normally wouldn’t
be shared, and they frightened me even more.
I first concentrated so hard on accurately
depicting the scene Yamamoto-san told me about.
Then, I made effort so that the picture could leave
an impression on people who would see it and they
could understand the scene of his testimony. As I
had an experience to be unable to fully understanda survivor’s testimony just by listening, I hoped thatmy painting would be of help in Yamamoto-san’s
activity to share his testimony.
Through this project, I had the opportunity to
speak to high school students around my age who
had come to Hiroshima on their school excursions.
Some listened to me very seriously, while others
would cry as they listened. This made me realizethat my story and painting resonate with people. My
work was meaningful, it helps tell the story.
I also had the opportunity to talk to overseas
visitors who came for a peace education training
organized by the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA). One of them told me, “This may be
a thing of the past for you, but don’t forget that in
the world, things similar to your painting arehappening to this day.” I always regarded the newsof conflicts on TV as something irrelevant for me
and something happening elsewhere. I had been
indifferent in these matters, but I understood that I
had to change my way of thinking.
Through this project I have met and conversedwith many people. This experience motivated me tohave as many people as possible learn about the A-

bomb damage. This feeling has grown stronger withtime. I want to take part in whatever action I can do,
and one such action is sharing my experience, like I
am doing today. I hope to continue to be involved
somehow in this activity. The atomic bombing is
not a matter of the past. It’s very important to passthe Hibakusha’s stories on to the next generationand ensure that they will be inherited. I believe it istime for the younger generation like me, to takeaction.

Actions for a Nuclear Weapon-Free
World -- Speeches by Overseas
Delegates:
Rachel Melly
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
U.K.
Hello everybody. I am honoured to be with you
here in Hiroshima for such a fantastic and crucial
conference and I bring greetings from the Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament. CND values highly its
relationship with Gensuikyo and the movements
present at this conference. Together we represent
the overwhelming majority of humanity, struggling
for peace and nuclear disarmament. In this CND’s
sixtieth anniversary year, we have collectively
recommitted to our goal of a nuclear weapons-freeworld and we thank our international partners andfriends for the support and solidarity expressed overso many decades.
We stand at a turning point in world affairs: in
one direction lies an ever-increasing certainty of
nuclear annihilation – a route pursued by a small
minority of states; in the other lies the possibility of
global nuclear abolition. In one direction is thenuclear modernisation and ‘usable nukes’ agenda of
the Trump administration and the nuclear weapons
states; in the other is the Treaty on the Prohibitionof Nuclear Weapons. The divergence has rarely
been so stark or so dangerous, and it is into thisspace that all our energies, our shared wisdom andexperience, must be poured: to achieve the outcome
which will ensure the survival of us all.
We are fighting for humanity against the horrorof war. To make our governments responsive andaccountable over our right to stay alive, our right tobreathe air free of radioactive pollution, our right tosay no to the indiscriminate killing of people. And
it has never been more crucial.
The challenges facing us today are enormous.
On the global scale we face the rise of the far right,
given support by President Trump, who with his
trashing of the Iranian nuclear deal, his new nuclear95

posture review and national defence strategy, andhis wild rhetoric about nuclear use, brings us asclose to nuclear use as at any time during the cold
war. The British Prime Minister Theresa May has
herself said that she would be willing press thenuclear button, even knowing that millions ofpeople would be killed.
Britain itself contributes to the increase inglobal tension, by insisting that it must replace its
Trident nuclear weapons system, going against its
commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and rejecting out-of-hand any involvementin the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons. Our government has said that Britain will
never sign the Treaty, but we are determined toprove them wrong. Britain is also part of theincreasing global expenditure on nuclear weapons:
President Trump has pledged $1.2 trillion, but ourown government has committed £205 billion (over30 trillion Japanese yen) to replacing Trident,
Britain’s nuclear weapons system. Indeed, over the
past decade, our work has focused very strongly on
the cost of Trident replacement.
In this work we prioritise working together withother organisations, building alliances across civilsociety. We would always prefer to work withothers than on our own. We may lead an allianceagainst nuclear weapons but the measure of our
success is how many organisations that are notprimarily about nuclear weapons will come on
board to support us. We do not want to work onlywith those who are already on side, but to win others
to the cause.
An example of this in practice is the Stop
Trident Alliance that we built against the
replacement of Trident in 2015. Thirty nationalorganisations came together with CND to oppose
the government’s plan. We mobilised hundreds ofthousands across the country and on ourdemonstration in London, we were joined on theplatform by trade union leaders, faith leaders, andparty leaders – the list is a long one and it shows thebreadth of social and political support for our
movement and how it is possible to mobilise them.
For historic reasons, a former imperial powerand so forth, many British politicians – and somecitizens – feel that Britain must be a global leader,
must ‘punch above its weight’, as Tony Blair used
to say. The tragedy is that they see this in militaryterms, rather than in terms of using Britain’s wealthand resources to advance the condition of humanity,
both at home and globally. This is where a politicalleadership with a vision could throw off theshackles of nuclear weapons and use its energies tohelp reshape a world without nuclear weapons. In
short, be a government that would recognise that it
is just too dangerous for nuclear weapons tocontinue to exist, and to support the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons. That would truly
be a global leadership role.
So there are huge threats that confront us all, andthere are also huge opportunities. It is the nature of
our movement that we wish to fight internationally,working together in solidarity. And that has neverbeen more important. None of the problems we facecan be solved on a national basis, they must be
solved internationally, and we must be united tomeet that challenge.
Today we recommit to that international
cooperation and solidarity, to ensure that no one
will ever again experience the catastrophe andtragedy which faced the people of Hiroshima andNagasaki.
No More Hiroshimas – No More Nagasakis!
For a world free from nuclear weapons!

Dong Huy Cuong
Vietnam Peace Committee
Action for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World
Thank you Gensuikyo for giving the chanceagain to speak here today, contributing a voice from
Vietnam to the struggle for a world without nuclear
and other weapons of mass destruction.
Two-third of a century have passed since thefirst and only A-bombs were dropped in thisbeautiful country, we can still see the war via stories
of Hibakushas. In Vietnam, I belong to a generation
who have never experienced the war, but I still feelthe pain of war whenever I see or visit or hear astory about a victim of Agent Orange, of a “heroicmother” whose husbands and children were killedby the war. And until now, there are still people who
cannot enjoy a single day of peace. People over theworld have talked a lot about millennium
development goals (MDGs) and about sustainable
development goals (SDGs), which we expect tobring about happiness, equality and justice to all
people. However, with thousands of nuclear
warheads possessed by nuclear weapons nations,with the expansion and modernization of thenuclear arsenals, with nuclear deterrence still being
used as a pretext for the so-call “global security”
and “national security”, with major powers stillthreatening to use force against other nations, suchgoals seem to be a dream which will never cometrue.
However, In the mid of the complicated global
situation, within a year we had experienced two
encouraging events, the adoption of a legallybinding treaty to ban nuclear weapons in July 2017
(after a year, 14 countries have ratified it) and the96inter-Korea summit, followed by the US-DPRK
Summit, which are promising signs for thedenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and theworld as a whole.
Let me once again congratulate peace
movements around the world, including Gensuikyo
and Japanese people, for the tireless effort we havebeen making through the years. Though we are still
very far from achieving our goal of a nuclear
weapon-free zones, what we have made so far isquite encouraging.
Now we enter a new struggle, which may beeven harder and require greater efforts. Regarding
the treaty, I think that the very first thing to do is tomake it come into force as soon as possible, and that
all countries, especially nuclear countries, should
join, sign, ratify and implement it. I myself do nothave specific recommendations for what we should
do at the moment, but I propose that we focus on
lobbying those countries which supports the treaty
to sign and ratify it first, while urging nuclear state
to join.
Concerning the recent development in the
Korean Peninsula, I once again agree with the ideathat civil society strongly support the peace process
and push up an action plan toward the fulfilment ofcommitments made by US President Trump and
DPRK leader Kim. Civil society should also
support any initiatives or effort made to improve therelations between Republic of Korea and DPRK, in
the interest of both peoples, as well as fordenuclearization and for peace in the region.
Before concluding, I would once again toemphasize the importance of reviving “international
solidarity”. Vietnamese people have a famous
saying that “a single tree cannot make the forest”. I
am strongly confident that with international
solidarity, with effort made by all peace movements
and peace-loving people in the world, we willachieve our final aim of a “peaceful world without
nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction”
No more Hiroshima! No more Nagasaki
Justice for Hibakusha.

Park Seok Min
Director of Education Bureau
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU)
R.O.K.
People in South Korea and Japan
should be the key players in an era ofpeace in Northeast Asia
On the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of theatomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I
offer my heartfelt condolences for all victims of thiscrime against humanity. I also want to take thisopportunity to extend greetings of solidarity topeace forces fighting in their respective countries
for their belief that there must be no more victims
of nuclear war in the history of humankind.
Friends, South Korea (Korean Peninsula)suffered the largest casualties in the atomic
bombing after Japan. But Barack Obama, the US
president at the time, disregarded Korean victims
when he offered an apology to Japan while visiting
Hiroshima in 2016. When Korea was underJapanese colonial rule, workers and other Koreans
were conscripted to work in Japan. Those who had
been recruited to Hiroshima and Nagasaki were
killed there. The Japanese and US governments arecalled upon to offer an apology to the Korean
Hibakusha, including those from the northern halfof the Korean Peninsula, and to make every effort
to compensate them and extend support to them. I
believe that this is also a task to be fulfilled as weenter an era of peace in Northeast Asia.
A new era of peace is opening up in East Asia.
On April 27, the leaders of South and North Koreas
issued the Panmunjom Declaration, which said:“There will be no more war on the Korean
Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun.”The leaders of North Korea and the United States
signed a statement in Singapore reconfirming a new
relationship between the two countries, the buildingof lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and thecomplete denuclearization of the peninsula. North
Korea has destroyed its nuclear test site anddismantled the missile test site. North Korea has
begun sending US soldiers’ remains back to theircountry in accordance with the bilateral agreement.
If the United States moves to end its hostile policy
toward North Korea in response to and in parallelwith the denuclearization measures taken by theNorth, it will then be possible to realize peace on
the Korean Peninsula.
In making the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free, itis necessary, in addition to the elimination of North
Korea’s nuclear weapons, to remove the US nuclear

97

had sacred time, almost alone, in the Peace Park.
There I was touched by the deepest and silent truthsof this A-bombed city. Touched by the Park’s
current of pain and by Hibakusha testimonies, we
become witnesses of the nuclear Hell which mustnever be repeated. But, we are also re-inspired by
the courage of Hibakusha and internationalcomrades and take renewed strength for our
campaigning.
Turning to the U.S. movement, I should stressthe unprecedented threats to what remains of ourdemocracy. Trump and his coterie are ruthlessly
attacking truth, without which democracy cannot
survive. The courts are being packed with rightwing ideologues. The rule of law, science, and thepress, termed the “enemy of the people” are underattack. With his war on immigrants and uncriticalsupport of police, Trump is unleashing white
Christian supremacist violence reminiscent of therise of fascism in the 1930s.
You know about the Pentagon’s grand strategy
and the Nuclear Posture Review. They are again,
preparing for great power wars. Unimaginable sums
are being spent for a new generation of first strike
nuclear weapons and to replace nuclear triad to
intimidate rivals and the world across the 21st
century.
In these circumstances, and recognizing that inunity there is strength, intersectional organizing is amovement priority. Slowly we are building issue
and constituency integrated movements to oppose
nuclear and other military spending, to ensure
funding for food, housing, education, and to reverse
climate change. Morality and necessity dictate
making common cause with immigrants and peopleof color under attack.
Even as we oppose Trump as the fascist thug heis and protect our election system, we are urging
U.S. common security diplomacy with Russia andChina: pressing extension of the New START
Treaty, preservation of the INF Treaty, withdrawing
military bases and demilitarizing U.S.-Chinesecompetition.
With our Korea Peace Network of more than
100 organizations, which has considerable KoreanAmerican leadership, we urge patience andpersistence to fulfill the Singapore communique’s
promises. With President Moon’s inspired
diplomacy, we walked Trump back from “fire andfury”, winning the Freeze for Freeze agreement as afoundation for “action for action and phased andsynchronous diplomacy. We must persist.
With Trump’s violation of the U.N. sanctioned
P5+1
agreement
with
Iran,
and
the
Trump/Bolton/Pompeo commitment to regimechange in Iran, we are beginning to work withumbrella. North Korea’s nuclear weapons can nolonger be used as the pretext for strengthening thealliances between Japan and the US, and between
South Korea and the US on the Korean Peninsula
and in Northeast Asia. The U.S. and Japanese
governments should work together to prevent war,
including nuclear war, in this region of the world.
However, the United States is currently
strengthening its alliances with South Korea andJapan, the aim being to isolate China and North
Korea. The THAAD system should be removed
from South Korea. Japan’s Abe government isgetting on the US bandwagon, making it
constitutional to exercise a right to collective selfdefense and gutting the Constitution under the
security legislation. The Abe government is rushingto turn Japan into a country that wages war. What’smore, Japan’s stockpile of plutonium, enough tomake thousands of nuclear weapons, is anothersource of concern for the region’s peace andsecurity. I would like to strongly condemn the Abegovernment for these moves.
The Abe government should give up its antiNorth Korean policy, which serves Abe’s own
political interests by crying out about the threat
from North Korea. It should cancel all acts andpolicies aimed at re-invading the Korean Peninsula.
If Japan is to join the era of peace, it is essential for
it to apologize and pay reparation for its pastcolonization of Korea, which includes the comfort
women issue.
We stand at a crucial moment in world history
when a new era of peace can be opened byovercoming confrontation and the threats of war
that we have experienced through our history inEast Asia.
We hope that the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons adopted last year will produce
results that will realize a world without nuclear
weapons.
Unity and solidarity between the peace-loving
forces in South Korea, Japan and the rest of theworld will give them the power to realize a new eraof peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast
Asia.
Friends, let us be main actors in a new history,
in the era of peace.

Joseph Gerson
Campaign for Peace, Disarmament andCommon Security
U.S.A.
Friends, thank you for the opportunity to returnto the World Conference. On my first night here I

98international allies to preserve the agreement and toprevent a catastrophic regime change war.
Finally, with the Ban Treaty, the internationalsignature campaign, and the coming 2020 NPT
Review conference, our movement must help build
the international forces needed to surround, isolate
and transform the nine nuclear powers. To be
successful, the Ban Treaty requires the support ofumbrella nations. Gensuikyo is doing its part, as are
our European allies. Next week, with IPPNW, I will
be lobbying Australian parliamentarians to lobby
for the Ban. Our Peace and Planet international
network will soon be developing plans for the NPT
Review. And we must work to inundate the Powers
with the Hibakusha petition signatures.
Friends, there is no higher calling than to workfor nuclear weapons abolition, for peace, justice andhuman survival. Together we must struggle forpeace, justice and freedom! No more Hiroshimas!
No More Nagasakis! No More War: We will nevergive up!

A treaty outlawing nuclear weapons for the firsttime in history was adopted at the UN a year ago.
More and more countries are now signing andratifying this treaty. And in June, the United States
and North Korea, longtime enemies to each other,held a historic summit meeting. We warmly
welcome this move seeking to achieve peace anddenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Only a year ago, the whole world was deeply
worried that a war might break out at any time.
Now the situation has changed completely. Of
course, we will not count on only the U.S. and North
Korea. To further advance this budding peace
process and prevent backsliding, public opinion andpeople’s movements throughout the world callingfor peace, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, and aworld without nuclear weapons should play a
crucial role.
Amid this rapidly changing situation, thegovernment of the only atomic bombed country has,more than ever before, an important role to fulfill.
As the country which experienced the tragedies ofHiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan should know better
than any other country how inhumane nuclear
weapons are. Japan must, both in Northeast Asiaand in the rest of the world, play a leading role in
the effort to eliminate nuclear weapons.
However, the Abe administration has been
opposed to the nuclear weapons prohibition treaty,
continuing to turn its back on the demand of
Hibakusha and the general public.
How can we change such a government? The
key is public opinion and movement.
Now, the Hibakusha international signaturedrive is increasing beyond the boundaries ofpolitical affiliations. Many regions andmunicipalities one after another join in thissignature campaign. At least 322 local assemblies
have adopted a resolution calling on the state
government to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons
ban treaty. This figure accounts for about 20% of allmunicipalities in Japan. The Japanese Communist
Party took part in the UN meetings and otheropposition parties have also been urging theJapanese government to be a signatory to the treaty.
In promoting a joint struggle between
concerned citizens and opposition parties, theopposition parties should have Japan’s participationin the treaty as a common goal. If we succeed infurther developing this joint effort, we will certainly
be able to open a new path for Japan to fulfill its roleas the A-bombed country. I promise that our party
will make its utmost effort to achieve this.
Before I became a Diet member, I worked for a
hospital in Tokyo, conducting medical checkups for
Hibakusha. One day, a woman Hibakusha said tome, “Up until now, I hesitated to have a Hibakusha

Speech/Messages from Japanese
Political Parties:
Koike Akira
Head of the Secretariat, JapaneseCommunist Party/ Member of the Houseof Councillors
Good afternoon. I am Koike Akira of theJapanese Communist Party.
First, I’d like to express my deep sympathy tothose who have suffered from the recent severe
rainstorm. On July 12, I visited the disaster-hit areasof Higashi-ku and Aki-ku in Hiroshima City andwas shocked to see the severity of the damage there.
I have urged the government to provide its full
support and relief for the disaster areas. I’d like tothank the citizens of Hiroshima for working very
hard to make this conference possible despite thehardship they are experiencing now.
I’d also like to extend my warmest greetings ofsolidarity to you who have come all the way fromaround the world and all corners of Japan to makethis conference a success. I heartily welcome thegovernment representatives. Your attendance isespecially encouraging for us. Also, the first-everparticipation of the leaders of the All-out Action
Committee and of the All Okinawa Coalition has
shown that our joint efforts are expanding in various
areas in Japan, in addition to the movement toachieve ZERO nuclear power plants.
Over the past year, we have seen major
developments toward a nuclear weapons-free world.

99

The Liberal Party will go hand in hand with you
who are present in this World Conference tocontinue to make every effort to achieve a world
without nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants.
Together, let us do our best.

medical checkup out of fear of the public eye. As
my daughter got married and left our house theother day, I came to feel like receiving a checkup
for the first time.” I can never forget this. An atomic
bomb leaves a scar that can never be wiped away,
not only on the body but also deep in the emotions
and in life itself. Nuclear weapons cannot coexist
with human beings.
Friends, let us share the Hibakusha’s aspiration
for peace and let us together send a message ofpeace! Toward the entry into force of the nuclear
weapons ban treaty, let us increase the Hibakusha
signature drive! Let us advance the joint struggle
between citizens and the opposition parties in orderto realize a government which will sign the nuclear
weapons prohibition treaty!
By calling for these things, I’d like to conclude
my speech in solidarity on behalf of the JapaneseCommunist Party. Let’s work together!

Itokazu KeikoPresident, Okinawa Whirlwind
Member of the House of Councillors
Message
I'd like to express my cordial support andgreetings of solidarity to the 2018 World
Conference against A and H Bombs being held toachieve a peaceful and just world without nuclear
weapons.
Today, 73 years after the atomic bombings andJapan's defeat in the Pacific War, I cannot help but
be filled with pleasure at witnessing an increasing
possibility of a peaceful, unified and nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula. I believe that we must not stop
this move toward peace in East Asia.
Okinawans, like the people of Hiroshima andNagasaki, have been suffering from the scars of an
extremely horrible battle and therefore have astrong desire for peace and against war. During thepostwar U.S. occupation, as many as 1,300 nuclear
weapons were deployed at the U.S. bases in
Okinawa. Okinawans were recently greatly
distressed to learn that a catastrophe almost
occurred when a nuclear-tipped missile was
mistakenly fired from the U.S.-controlled Naha
airport.
To this day, Okinawa is forced to shoulder theburden of more than 70% of U.S. military facilities
in Japan, but we are not informed of anything about
the inside of the bases. The possibility that the U.S.
military has been bringing its nuclear weapons into
Okinawa cannot be ruled out. The people of
Okinawa, like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, know thatpeacekeeping under the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" orby the use of force is just an illusion. Now is thetime to drastically review the Japan-U.S. Security
Treaty itself and increase public awareness of theneed to eliminate nuclear weapons so as to truly
move toward a peaceful world.
Japan, the only atomic bombed country in theworld, should play a leading role in the effort toabolish nuclear weapons. In fact, every country has
a role to play in further promoting this effort.
Unfortunately, the Abe government has not adopted
such a policy direction. Rather, it is submissive to
the United States, doing completely the opposite towhat the Hibakusha have been wishing for. "Humanbeings and nuclear weapons cannot coexist." This is

Ozawa Ichiro
President, Liberal Party
Member of the House of Representatives
Message
Greetings to the 2018 World Conference against
A and H Bombs.
First, allow me to express my heartfelt
condolences to the victims of the atomic bombingsof Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I also extend mysympathy to those who have been suffering fromaftereffects of exposure to atomic bomb radiation. I
express my deep respect to the Organizing
Committee for its persistent efforts to eliminate
nuclear weapons.
Since the dawn of history, humankind has
produced many great assets of culture andcivilization. But at the same time, some of them
have brought numerous calamities to humanity.
The worst of those calamities is war and nuclear
weapons. The human race can never coexist with
nuclear weapons. Affirming the existence of
nuclear weapons leads to the annihilation ofhumankind.
We must make efforts to make the world free of
nuclear weapons at the earliest possible date.
As the only country to have suffered the nuclear
attack, Japan must take a lead in the effort toachieve this goal. It is truly lamentable that thecurrent politics goes against the mission the Abombed country should fulfil.
Now is time for the government to realize its
responsibility as the only A-bombed country andtake action which live up to the requirement ofhistory.
100the obvious lesson learned—also from the tragic
accident in Fukushima in 2011.
Let us continue to work hand-in-hand, not only
for the prohibition of nuclear weapons, but also forthe elimination of nuclear power generation, in theeffort to establish a peaceful world without nuclear
weapons. I'd like to express my sincere hope that the2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs
will be successful.

Determination of Japanese GrassRoots Movements for a Nuclear
Weapon-Free World:
Ichizuka Ayako
Secretary General, Youth Department
All Japan Teachers and Staffs Union(Zenkyo)
We are the members of Zenkyo Youth
Department. In addition to us on the stage now,
many more young teachers and staff have come tojoin this conference from different parts of Japan.
We learned so much in the last three days about
what we can do for a world without nuclear
weapons.
We have a plan to organize an assembly ofyoung teachers and staff here in Hiroshima next
February under the theme of peace education.
Nowadays, we often hear from young teachersand staff saying, “We are not exactly sure how topromote peace education.” or ”My school has adisapproving atmosphere that teaching peace issomething we shouldn’t do.”Regretting the prewar education which led tosending students to battlefields, Zenkyo has upheld
the slogan: “Never shall we send our students tobattlefields again.” Promoting peace education at
school is the starting point of our movement. Yet,
we have a sense of crisis that peace education isdisappearing from schools.
With concern about such a situation, youngteachers and staff members nationwide have started
to speak up and take actions. They brought theirstudents to war monuments in local areas andencourage them to meet with and learn from people
with war experiences.
For the past few years, the youth department ofHiroshima Zenkyo also has organized peace tours,
in which they serve as tour guides. In order to begood guides, they make visits to war monuments
and study the history of war and the A-bombing ofHiroshima. They want to be able to tell about thetragedy of war to children in their own words.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons (TPNW) emphasizes the importance ofpeace education. Now that the treaty came into
existence, we are required to think what we should
inherit to children.
Next February, we will assemble in Hiroshima
again with our colleagues coming from all overJapan. Here in Hiroshima, we will learn thehistory of war, the damage of the atomic bombing,and people’s movement for a world free of nuclear
weapons, so that we can bring home thesignificance of peace education. We want to makeOkada Katsuya
Member of the House of Representatives
MessageOn the occasion of the opening of the 2018
World Conference against A and H Bombs, I again
express my heartfelt condolences for all those who
became victims to the atomic bombs. I also express
my deep sympathy to those who to this day suffer
due to the damage to their physical and mental
health.
The circumstances surrounding nuclear
weapons are severe. Turning away from the era ofPresident Obama, who called for the realization ofa world without nuclear weapons and who evenvisited Hiroshima, the United States’ Trump
Administration is pursuing the development ofsmaller nuclear weapons and new types of nuclear
cruise missiles. It has adopted a policy that
represents a retrograde step from the broad directionof achieving a world without nuclear weapons. In
regard to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons, the gulf between the nuclear weapon
states and the non-nuclear weapon states is growing
ever deeper.
Now more than ever, at this critical moment for
the realization of a world without nuclear weapons,
Japan is called upon to wave the flag. But we see nosigns of such a stance from the Abe Government,which“highly
appreciates”
the
Trump
Administration’s nuclear policy. In East Asia allsorts of tactical maneuvers are being played out inrelation to the denuclearization of North Korea, buthere again, Japan has no diplomatic presence. Withan eye to the future beyond the denuclearization of
North Korea, Japan should show leadership towards
the realization of a world without nuclear weapons
by proposing a “North-East Asia Nuclear Weapon
Free Zone”.
Finally, allow me to wish this World
Conference great success and to offer my best
wishes to the Organizing Committee andparticipants.

101

this meeting an opportunity for each participant tothink and take a step forward to promote peaceeducation at school.
We join you in your endeavor to achieve apeaceful, nuclear weapon-free and just world.

High School Students of Tokachi Area,
Hokkaido Delegation
Tokumura Maya: Having learned about thetragedy in World War II at school, in the class ofpolitics and economics, I got interested in the World
Conference. I used to think that we were at peace inJapan, but I have realized that it was peace only ina tiny bubble. Even now, there are endless wars andconflicts in many countries. I have applied toparticipate in this meeting, in the hope that our voice
could realize world peace.
Kajiura Kota: All I have learned at primaryschool about the atomic bombing was that “The Abomb was dropped on Japan". I did not have any
opportunities to learn about the thoughts of A-bomb
survivors or their tragic stories. If this situation does
not change, I am afraid, the voices of A-bomb
survivors will not be passed down from generation
to generation. I have made up my mind toparticipate in this World Conference because I wantto make sure that the baton for peace will be handed
down to the next generation.
Hojo Sayuki: I learned at civics class in myjunior high school that technologies of nuclear
power plants are the same as those of nuclear
weapons, and those technologies are spread to manyother countries from our country, Japan. I thoughtthen that it was maybe against the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) adopted long before.
Then I studied at senior high school about theatomic bombing damage and I was convinced thatspreading the technology of nuclear weapons to theworld must not be allowed and I decided toparticipate in this World Conference to change ourcountry with our hands.
Tokumura, Kajiura and Hojo: Our voices canchange the world. Three of us produced a petition
to raise fund to send delegates to the World
Conference against A&H Bombs. We distributed
this petition and called for generous donations in
our local communities. We have learned that somecountries decided to abandon nuclear weapons
because they took seriously the testimonies of the
A-bomb survivors as a serious warning. We also
conducted a signature campaign drive for theelimination of nuclear weapons in the hope that our
voices, however weak they are, can change theworld. However, some people passed by without
listening to whatever we seriously speak, and other102

people turned their back on us saying, "We do not
like what you are doing!" Honesty, we were really
discouraged and demotivated, and felt very sad.
We want to ask them again. "Would it be allright if you have another atomic bombing in thiscountry?" Despite being the only A-bombed nation,
many Japanese look indifferent to this problem.
Before delivering any messages to other nations,
we should make sure that all of us in Japan arecommitted to a nuclear-free world. In this respect,
the International Meeting this year was very
meaningful for us.
What we can do now is to tell about the horrorsof nuclear war to our families and friends, and tokeep on telling so that they will not forget. I promise
you that young generation like us will take theinitiative and pass the baton on to the next
generation.

Proposal for Action:
Yasui Masakazu
Japan Council against A and H Bombs(Gensuikyo)
Thank you all for your participation andcontribution to the discussion over the three days ofthis World Conference.
First, allow me to express my thanks and affirm
solidarity with the representatives of governmentorganizations who attended this conference - from
Ireland, Austria, Venezuela, Mexico and Cuba; withthe representatives of the global antinuclear andpeace movements from the Asia-Pacific, Europe,
America, the Middle East and Africa; with heads ofstates and leaders of countries who sent messages;
with the mayors of Hiroshima and other local
municipalities and representatives of politicalparties and citizens’ groups who attended theconference or sent messages; and with the
Hibakusha from Japan and overseas who
participated in this conference.
I thank from the bottom of my heart the peopleof Hiroshima who, amidst this extreme heat,supported the conference over its five days, while atthe same time helping the recovery efforts from thedevastation caused by the recent storms. I also
would like to thank the interpreters and all those
involved in the preparations.
This year’s World Conference called for a grand
movement to bring into effect the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons and bring tofruition demands for the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula. Public opinion and people’s
movements throughout the world, throughcooperation between governments and civil society,will overcome the resistance of the forces clinging
to nuclear weapons and open a sure path to a “World
without Nuclear Weapons”.
Also, for the first time, Mr. Fukuyama Shingo,
Co-Chair of the All-Out Action Committee to Stop
the War and Scrapping of Article 9 participated inthis conference, demonstrating that Japan’s peaceand democracy movements are standing on a newstage and moving surely from the era of schism toan era of united front. The future lies in cooperationin our shared struggle. Let us respond to the call andspread the common circle to every corner of Japan.
Yesterday’s workshops, which included therepresentatives of governments, responded to the
Declaration of the International Meeting with alively discussion about various subjects, including
the International Signature Campaign for the
Appeal of the Hibakusha, support for and solidarity
with the Hibakusha, solidarity with the people of
Okinawa, peace and denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula and Asia, preventing proposed changes to
Article 9 of the Constitution, reducing nuclear
power to zero, and military spending andlivelihoods. Let us now breathe life into the fruits ofthese meetings by putting them into practice.
Friends, what will be decisive for progress
towards total elimination of nuclear weapons will
be to create a majority within the nuclear weapons
states and their allies in favor of the nuclear
weapons ban treaty and, through the power ofpublic opinion and people’s movements, to force

the governments of these countries to sign and ratify
the treaty. The key to this is the sovereign will of
the citizens of each country. Never before has therole of the International Hibakusha Appeal
Signature Campaign been so important as it aims tocollect signatures from hundreds of millions ofpeople throughout the world.
Above all, let us make great progress in thismovement within Japan. Nihon Hidankyo (Japan
Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers
Organizations) resolved to collect the signatures ofhalf the Japanese population by 2020. Let us makethe submission of signatures to the UN General
Assembly in autumn a success, and launchourselves into the campaign towards next spring’s
Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty Review Conference.
The Japanese movement has an international
responsibility to make the Japanese Government
play its proper role, as a government bound by the
Article 9 peace clause of its Constitution and thegovernment of the only country to have suffered thenuclear attack. We must demand that the Japanese
Government get out of the nuclear umbrella andsign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Let us get allmunicipalities to adopt resolutions demanding that
the Japanese Government support the Treaty. Let us
develop public opinion, which is the key toachieving the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime.

1032018 World Conference against A & H Bombs – Hiroshima
Hiroshima Day Rally, August 6, 2018

Appeal from Hiroshima
Our light now is the ban treaty. To all in this hall and all listening around the world, I repeat
those words that I heard called to me in the ruins of Hiroshima: "Don't give up! Keep pushing!
See the light? Crawl towards it."– From speech delivered by Setsuko Thurlow, Hibakusha of Hiroshima, at the Nobel
Peace Prize awards ceremony, December 10, 2017
Seventy-three years have passed since an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. A very serious
situation persists in the rain disaster-hit areas. We express our deepest condolences for those who
were killed in the disaster and our sympathy to the people in the affected areas. We also express
our deep gratitude to all who have worked hard to make the holding of the World Conference
against A and H Bombs possible while devoting their energies to helping the disaster-affected
people rebuild their communities and living conditions in the scorching heat in Hiroshima and otherareas.
Today, exactly 73 years ago, the city of Hiroshima was turned into an inferno by a US nuclear
attack. We are observing this day at a time when the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW) is being signed and ratified by countries worldwide. In June, the United States and the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea held a summit, leading to a historic first step towards
denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and establishing a peace system in Northeast Asia.
But the Japanese government of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, which heavily relies on the US“nuclear umbrella”, not only turns its back on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons but
is also obsessed with turning Japan into a country that wages war.
The current international developments are taking place thanks to a rise in global public awarenessand movements working against nuclear weapons and for peace. We believe that the power toachieve the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and thedenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula lies in rising public awareness and global movements. If
we defeat the “nuclear deterrence” theory that insists that nuclear weapons are necessary forsecurity and if the cooperation between civil society movements and national governments further
develops to work for a “world without nuclear weapons”, a bright future will be possible.
Let us develop a grand movement to achieve the earliest possible entry into force of the TPNW
and open the way toward a “world without nuclear weapons” as we prepare to observe the 75th
anniversary of the atomic bombings in 2020. Let us transform the Northeast Asian region, where
the Olympic Games are held in Tokyo and Beijing in succession, into a region from where we canlaunch messages for peace to the rest of the world.

104

We will promote the drive to collect hundreds of millions of signatures by 2020 in support of the
Hibakusha Appeal in cooperation with local government heads and local assembly members,
involving municipalities and local communities. Let us strongly urge the Japanese government topull out from under the US “nuclear umbrella” and participate in the TPNW. Let us drasticallystrengthen the effort to have local assemblies adopt declarations calling on the government to sign
and ratify the TPNW. Let us press the government to abrogate the secret nuclear arrangementswith the United States, strictly observe the Three Non-nuclear Principles (not to possess,manufacture or allow nuclear weapons to be brought into Japan), and establish them as law.
Let us make the damage and aftereffects of the atomic bombings known widely and expose theinhumane nature of nuclear weapons. Let us organize “A-bomb exhibitions” and assemblies for the
Hibakusha to talk about their horrifying experience during and after the A-bombings in allmunicipalities and local communities. Let us demand a far-reaching improvement of the A-bombdisease recognition system and the establishment of state compensation for the Hibakusha, andfurther strengthen activities for the relief of and solidarity with them.
Let us further develop the drive to collect 30 million signatures and other activities to prevent Article
9 of the Constitution from being adversely amended and get the War Laws repealed. In Okinawa,
there will be crucial political battles, including the gubernatorial election in autumn. Let us fight infirm solidarity with “All Okinawa” in defense of the dignity of Okinawans to stop the construction ofa new US base in the Henoko district of Nago City and dismantle the US Marine Corps Air Station
Futenma. Let us oppose the strengthening of the Japan-US military alliance.
Let us oppose putting nuclear power plants back online and demand a shift in energy policy awayfrom nuclear power to one that increases reliance on renewable energy sources. Let us oppose
the destruction of stable jobs and people’s livelihood, the increase in poverty and widening income
gaps, and increase the movement demanding cuts in military expenditure to protect welfare
services and education. Let us oppose all forms of discrimination and realize gender equality.
Let us link together all these movements and use the power of cooperation between the citizens’
movements and opposition parties to force the Abe government to step down and create agovernment that truly represents the atom-bombed country.
New cooperation is growing with the Peace March, which has marked its 60th anniversary. Now is
the time to raise the level of nationwide cooperation to a new stage. Let us advance hand in handwith the Hibakusha and with young people to open a bright future.
No More Hiroshimas, No More Nagasakis, No More Hibakusha, No More War.

105

2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs – Nagasaki
International Forum: “For the Prohibition andElimination of Nuclear Weapons -- Dialogue between
Governments & NGOs”(August 8)

Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons a year ago, Nobel
Peace Prize given to ICAN, North-South Korean
Summit and US-North Korean Summit. It is an
important task for us to promote this momentum sothat it will become an irresistible tide towards thegoal of abolition of nuclear weapons. For this, justlike the call of civil society for a nuclear weaponfree world supported the adoption of the TPNW, wehave to unite ourselves and work even harder andtenaciously to make our voice heard.
I understand that this World Conference against
A & H Bombs shares this idea as it does focus on
the solidarity and cooperation among civil societies
in the East Asian region. I do hope that every
participant in this meeting share the wish for peaceand commitment to spread both domestically andinternationally the commitment to the eliminationof nuclear weapons.
Nagasaki will continue to advance towards
peace until the day when the earth will be set
completely free of nuclear weapons, with thesupport of like-minded people like you.
Let me conclude my greetings by wishing you
a grand success of the 2018 World Conference aswell as good health and success to each participant.
Thank you very much.

Greetings from Nagasaki Mayor:
Taue Tomihisa
Mayor of Nagasaki City
On behalf of the citizens of Nagasaki, I would
like to greet the 2018 World Conference against
Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs.
Let me first express my deep respects for yourcontinued and tireless endeavor for world peace andabolition of nuclear weapons.
Nagasaki will observe the 73rd anniversary day
of atomic bombing tomorrow. A single atomic
bomb dropped on Nagasaki turned the city into hell
instantly. Strong blast, heat rays and radiations
assaulted mercilessly the people of Nagasaki.
74,000 precious human lives were taken, and75,000 people were injured. Even today a large
number of survivors are suffering from theaftereffects of radiation exposure.
The world free of nuclear weapons is an ardentwish and mission of the A-bombed Nagasaki.
There is a growing ever public attention on thequestion of peace as the world is focused on theevents related to the abolition of nuclear weapons,
including the adoption of the Treaty on the106

“Olympic Truce”, the announcement of a reduction
and postponement of South Korean-U.S. joint
military exercises, Kim Jong Un’s “New Year
Statement” in response to that announcement, theOlympic Games in PyeongChang, and South-North
Summit meetings, etc. testify to that momentum.
When U.S. President Trump threw the world into
confusion at the end of May by threatening tocancel the summit meeting with North Korea, both
North and South Korean leaders held a blitz
meeting in Panmunjom to overcome the crisis.
The second feature is the content of the
Panmunjom Declaration and the Singapore Joint
Statement. The former refers to the peace systemand complete denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula, but more importantly, in its preamble,
the two heads of state declared that there will be no
more wars on the Korean Peninsula and a new eraof peace has opened. This can be taken as a virtual
declaration of ending the war by these two countries.
In my view, the keyword in the Singapore
Statement may be the “new North Korea-US.
relations”. The Statement recognized that “newrelations between North Korea and the U.S, willcontribute to peace and prosperity of the Korean
Peninsula” and that “building mutual confidence
will promote denuclearization of the Peninsula”.
This particular understanding of the situation
was reflected in the way the statement is structured.
The text first mentions the establishment of new
relations, then the peace system on the Korean
Peninsula, followed by denuclearization. In
particular, President Trump in the interview held
after the summit meeting mentioned that “28million people live in Seoul located only 30 miles
from the armistice line” and said that “a war should
not recur on the Korean Peninsula”. Personally, I
had never before heard a U.S. President in officemake such comments. In this sense, Trump’s
statements indeed bear special significance.
The third feature is the existence of criticalopinions about the series of new developments inthe situation since the beginning of this year,
opinions especially apparent in the mainstream
media as well as among a majority of experts andintellectuals in the United States.
However, I think we should also look at theresults of a couple of opinion polls made in the U.S.
The CNN survey (published on June 19) showedthat 52% of respondents said they were satisfied
with the outcome of the summit meeting, against
36% who said they were not satisfied. As many as
82% of those who support the Republican Party and
28% of Democratic Party supporters responded thatthey were happy with the outcome of the meeting.
The Associated Press opinion survey (published onJune 21) revealed that as much as 55% of the

Panelists Presentations:Thomas Hajnoczi
Director for Disarmament, Arms Control
and Non-Proliferation, Federal Ministry
for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
Austria(Please see page 77)

Jamie Walsh
Deputy Director, Disarmament & NonProliferation, Department of Foreign
Affairs & Trade
Ireland(Please see page 79)

Joseph Gerson
Campaign for Peace, Disarmament andCommon Security
U.S.A.
(Please see page 24)

Lee Jun Kyu
Researcher, Center for Peace Researchand Education of KYOREH HANA
R.O.K.
I will try not to repeat things that have alreadybeen said by other delegates from South Korea at
the International Meeting and other programs of theWorld Conference. The international situation weare now facing around the Korean Peninsulapresents three features that should draw ourattention. The first is that the current situation may
have resulted from the combination of two corefactors. One of these factors is a change in the North
Korean state strategy. It is clear that North Korea
has decided to re-orient its national policy towards
the construction of the national economy. The otherfactor is the policy pursued steadily by the South
Korean Moon Jae-in government since it was
brought to power by the citizens’ candle revolution.
In other words, the current favorable situation for
dialogue and negotiation has been brought about by
the improving South-North relationship that hascreated a breakthrough in the deadlock and tension
prevailing on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia,
and which is sustaining the present momentum for
dialogue.
The unchanged commitment of President Moon
Jae-in to a “resolution of the problem on the basisof peace principles”, the U.N. resolution on the107respondents said they would support President
Trump’s policy towards North Korea, which is a
13% increase from the previous survey made last
March.
This means that public opinion within the U.S.
is divided by an important gap in understanding
between the mainstream media and opinion leaderson the one hand and the general public on the other.
It can also be said that the American public looks at
the Kim-Trump summit meeting through a partisan
or anti-Trump prism.
Of course, there are criticisms voiced by theconservative forces, especially in the U.S., Japanand South Korea, for the lack of concrete outcomesfrom the Singapore meeting. In particular, they
complain about the absence of any reference to
CVID (complete, verifiable and irreversible
denuclearization) and the vagueness about the timeframe of denuclearization. Some claim that thecancellation of South Korea-U.S. joint military
exercises was too big a concession. However, inSouth Korea, the majority opinion considers that
the Singapore meeting was disappointing because it
failed to declare that the war was over.
For, in South Korea, there were highexpectations that President Moon would join thetwo heads of state in Singapore to declare together
the end of the war and put an end to the “state ofwar” on the Korean Peninsula once and for all. To
declare that the war has ended would be merely apolitical act, meaning that the concerned parties areready to engage in a dialogue towards peace.
However, the public in the U.S. attributed to such a
declaration too much importance for U.S. domestic
politics. In addition, some warned that thedeclaration of the end of the war would help theNorth Korea to obtain what it wishes to achieve.
The “CVID” and the declaration of the end of
the war will be the major issues to be addressed in
the coming period, as was seen in U.S. State
Secretary Pompeo’s visit to North Korea and his
meeting with Kim Young-chul, Vice-President of
the North Korean Workers’ Party.
The “CVID” was originally a made-up term,reflecting the neo-conservative idea in the U.S.
under the Bush Administration. If you consider thestatements made by President Trump and his
Secretary of State Pompeo, you can see the change
in the attitude of the Trump Administration. Neither
Trump nor Pompeo is attached to the term CVID.
However, the administration of Trump remains
concerned about the upcoming interim election anddomestic public opinion in general and may be
demanding North Korean denuclearization
measures that are far more daring than the current
freeze standards in the Front Loading or“preemptive initial measure”.

However, for North Korea, it is not acceptableto proceed unconditionally with serious
denuclearization measures in a situation where thedeclaration of the end of the war is not even an
option. North Korea has always been asserting thatits nuclear armaments are to ensure the security ofthe present regime and to deter the U.S. from using
nuclear weapons. After all, the problem is about
setting the track of peace talks in line with the trackof denuclearization.
Complex negotiations are likely to continue fora long time. I believe that the right answer at theend of the day will be, as is stipulated in the
Singapore Statement, to continue the dialogue andnegotiations in parallel with the process of building
mutual confidence. In that particular process, it isimportant to maintain the current freeze. Thismeans that while advancing the peace process on
the Korean Peninsula, including the end of the war
declaration, the conclusion of a peace treaty and thenormalization of North Korea-U.S. relations, thedynamic of the process should be used to push fordenuclearization. Denuclearization will advanceonly if it is implemented gradually andsimultaneously with other relevant measures.
Finally, I would like to indicate a few things weshould not overlook when we address the nuclear
issue on the Korean Peninsula. The first is thehistorical background of the issue. The
confrontation between North Korea and the U.S.
began in the context of the division of the Korean
Peninsula, the Korean War and the Cold War in East
Asia. There is a structure of long and deep defiancethat separates the two countries. For example,
North Korea considers itself as a country
surrounded by the “nuclear alliance” formed by the
U.S., Japan and South Korea. Indeed, during theCold War period, South Korea and Okinawa
constituted the largest forward base in the AsiaPacific region where U.S. nuclear weapons were
deployed. And even though the Cold War structure
has disintegrated worldwide, this arrangement inEast Asia was left unchanged, with the anti-North
Korea nuclear alliance being strengthened evenmore. Thus, after the end of the Cold War, North
Korea found itself more isolated than before, withthe existing arrangement causing even more serious
distress.
Another thing is the obvious contradiction
inherent in North Korean international politics
regarding nuclear weapons. The P5 nuclear cartel isthe primary cause of the unfair non-proliferation
regime. Moreover, serving their own egoistic
interests, the P5 countries are building up virtual
military alliances with Pakistan, India or Israel andcooperating with them in the field of nuclear
development. The Nuclear Posture Review,108published in February 2018, has shown that the U.S.
hunger for nuclear hegemony is growing. Of course,
these problems cannot justify North Korea’s
nuclear armament. However, we must not overlook
the contradictory structure that might lead a small
and vulnerable country to fall to the lure of thenuclear armament option as a means to secure its
survival. This is why, I believe, it is crucial that wein the anti-nuclear and peace movements, having
achieved a historic success by realizing the nuclear
ban treaty, must continue to surround andoverwhelm nuclear-armed countries with waves ofmounting public opinion in favor of the ban andelimination of nuclear weapons.

say that this change was created through the effortsof governments and civil society leading from the
Humanitarian Initiative on nuclear weapons to theadoption of the TPNW. The fierce resistance of thenuclear weapon states within the NPT is evidence
that they feel cornered. The movement aiming for a“world without nuclear weapons” has entered a newlevel.
We must win in this conflict and make progress
towards the realization of a world without nuclear
weapons. On this point, we are encouraged thatmany non-nuclear weapon states are not yielding,that they are working towards bringing into force
the TPNW and that, in the lead up to the 2020 NPT
Review Conference, they are pressing for the
implementation of the obligations and promises
under Article 6. I believe the participation in thisWorld Conference by Ambassador Thomas
Hajnoczi of Austria and Mr. Jamie Walsh of Irelandis a manifestation of this determination.
I believe that there are now circumstances thatare supporting us and opening up new possibilities.
First, the TPNW is a great source of strength.
Ambassador Hajnoczi said in Hiroshima that theTreaty has become a real presence within thedisarmament and non-proliferation regime. I
believe this is highly significant.
For example, we held negotiations with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the firstanniversary of the adoption of the TPNW. There thehead of the Arms Control Disarmament Division,referring to the International Court of Justice’s
1996 advisory opinion, said, “When the very
survival of a state is at stake, it can’t be helped if
nuclear weapons are used.” We were outraged andprotested fiercely at this statement, made eventhough they claim that their aim is a world without
nuclear weapons and that they understand very well
the inhumanity of nuclear weapons. The Treaty
sucks the air out of such thinking by banning theuse of nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
Even though it has not yet come into effect, it
strengthens that moral norm. As the country that
was attacked with nuclear weapons, surely weshould abide by that norm.
Second, with the North-South dialogue and themeeting between the Heads of State of the UnitedStates and North Korea, a dramatic situation isdeveloping surrounding peace and denuclearizationof the Korean Peninsula. Last year people wereconcerned that there might even be a war between
North Korea and the US. Most citizens welcome
this transformation. The Japanese Government
dribbles on endlessly about the North Korean threat,
offering nothing but force in response andjustifying its nuclear policy. Now, when the shadowof the North Korean threat is fading, what are theTsuchida Yayoi
Assistant General Secretary
Japan Council against A and H Bombs(Gensuikyo)
At last year’s World Conference, we shared our
joy over the adoption of the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in theconviction that the efforts of the Japanese antinuclear movement had been rewarded. So, in what
direction is the world moving one year since then?
At the end of April this year I participated in theSecond Session of the Preparatory Committee forthe 2020 NPT Review Conference. There thenuclear weapon states, with the United States at thefront, were saying that now is not the time fordisarmament and that if they disarm the world will
become a more dangerous place. It was a shock tothink that nothing had changed, despite the TPNW,
and that the prospects for the 2020 NPT Review
Conference were bleak.
The US Nuclear Posture Review articulates adangerous policy, referring to nuclear weapons that
can actually be used and suggesting that nuclear
weapons could be used in response to attacks byconventional weapons. When cornered by the
Hibakusha in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, theJapanese Government coolly responded that it will
not join the TPNW. Now that the Treaty is in place,there is fierce conflict between those who want tohold onto their nuclear weapons and those whowant to eliminate them.
In this context, we discovered something in our
discussions with the representatives of nuclear
weapon states and countries under their nuclear
umbrella. Although they say all sorts of things, they
do not deny that the goal is the realization of a world
without nuclear weapons, that nuclear weapons
must never again be used, and that nuclear weapons
are inhumane weapons. Perhaps it is more accurate
to say that they are unable to deny this. It is fair to109threats to Japanese citizens? What is deterrence?
Can the peace and safety of citizens be protectedwith nuclear weapons? What is Japan’s role? Thisis the perfect opportunity to raise these questions
with the Japanese public, generate a discussion, andchange public opinion.
Third is the unprecedented cooperation that is
spreading in Japan. The All-Out Action Committeethat started in 2014 to oppose laws that would turnJapan into a war-fighting nation subsequently
developed into a joint movement between civilsociety and opposition parties aiming to collect 30
million signatures opposing revision of Article 9 of
the Constitution. This joint approach is also being
taken by the zero nuclear energy movement and the
all-Okinawa movement against construction of a
new US military base. So we are now in an era ofcooperation.
On August 4 at the Opening Plenary, Fukuyama
Shingo, Co-chair of the All-Out Action Committee
to Stop the War and Scrapping of Article 9,participated in the World Conference for the firsttime. He said, “The Japanese movement for peaceand democracy has now moved from an era ofdivision to a new era of joint action. We now standon a new stage. To stop the political rush of Abe’s
LDP-Komeito government and to make an era
where nuclear disarmament, support of the
Hibakusha, an end to nuclear power generation,
preservation of Article 9, prevention of theconstruction of the new base in Okinawa, peace anddemocracy will all prevail, all of us citizens, groups
and opposition parties have to struggle incooperation and solidarity. If we stay split, we will

not be able to defeat the Abe government. Our
future will be found only in cooperation and joint
struggle.”
At the level of political parties, on August 6 wewere greatly encouraged by the announcement by
the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (thelargest opposition party) that it supported the
TPNW; and in his speech, Akira Koike of theJapanese Communist Party mentioned that, on topof the 30 million signature campaign opposing
revision to Article 9 of the Constitution, there are
moves to add signing and ratification of the Treaty
to the list of issues on which civil society andopposition parties are cooperating.
There has also been a big change in theinternational Hibakusha signature campaign. In
support of this campaign, 46 groups have rallied
together to form a committee to promote thecollection of signatures. In over half of Japan’s 47
prefectures a wide range of groups, including
governors and mayors, have formed committees topromote signature collection. Over 1,100 heads ofmunicipalities have signed. So far over 8 million
signatures have been collected. This is more thanever before. Motions have been passed by 322 local
councils to send letters to the national government
demanding that it sign and ratify the Treaty.
No matter how stubbornly the nuclear weapon
states and the Abe Government cling to nuclear
weapons, we are in the majority.
Let us make the most of these circumstancesand play our role as civil society so as to translate
the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons
into reality.

1102018 World Conference against A and H Bombs:

Nagasaki Day Rally(August 9)

Seinendan is made up of groups of young
workers and students, mainly in their 20s and 30s,
who are active in rural areas, willing to build betterand more dynamic communities through a varietyof events, including festivals, sports and culturalactivities and peace works.
After the end of WWII, many young returned
home only to find their home towns and villages
devastated by war. They reassembled to be united torestore Seinendan in their home towns and began torebuild their communities, resolved to re-establish
peace and to never take up guns again. Their resolve
has been passed down through generations as thebasic spirit of Seinendan.
War is the most atrocious deed in the history of
mankind, because it not only makes people kill eachother but also breaks the ties between families,
friends and loved ones. We learned this from the
Hibakusha who have struggled to survive and staystrong. By working with the Hibakusha, we learned
the importance of preventing war at any cost. Manyare still living with scars, pains, and sufferings fromthe A-bombing. Now that the generation who went
through the atomic bombing and WWII are aged, it

Greetings of Solidarity:
Umekawa Misano
Executive Board Member
Japan SEINENDAN Council
I am Umekawa Misano, an Executive Board
Member of Japan SEINENDAN Council. I belong
to the Social Department that works daily on
different issues, including peace movement andterritorial issues, trying to build a nationwide
movement. It is my honor to be here today.
After the successful Hiroshima Conference, theWorld Conference has brought us here to Nagasaki.
I would like to express my sincere respects to all of
the delegates who have gathered in the 2018 World
Conference against A and H Bombs - Nagasaki,
coming from different parts of Japan and fromaround the world, for working on daily basis torealize a genuinely peaceful society without nuclear
weapons. On behalf of all local Seinendans around
Japan, I wish to extend our greetings of solidarity to
you.

111

is a task for us, young people, not to let theirexperiences be forgotten and to keep reminding andmobilizing ourselves in solidarity with many others
to achieve the wishes and determination of the
Hibakusha embodied in their calls: “No more
Hibakusha,” and “Do not let emerge the prewar era
again”.
Seinendan has joined many other organizations
and individuals to support the “Hibakusha Appeal
International Signature Campaign”, and we arecollecting the petitions. This September, we areorganizing a Peace Rally in Okinawa, and we will
launch a signature campaign in Naha City with thecooperation of local Hibakusha. What we can do
may be small but still, we with Seinendan, aredetermined to continue to multiply learning andexchanging with each other so that we can advance
together with you in the movement for theelimination of nuclear weapons until we achieve apeaceful society.
In closing, I would like to express our sincere
wish that this Conference will be a step forward
towards a genuinely peaceful society free of nuclear
weapons and war. Friends, let us work together.

to the United Nations last October. We are almost
reaching 10 million signatures.
The Inter-Korean Summit and the North KoreaUS Summit taught us that state leaders’ decisions
have the power to change the international state ofaffairs. It was an epoch-making event.
Now, once again, let me recall what the atomicbombing meant for us.
Two atomic bombs dropped over Hiroshima andNagasaki instantly destroyed these cities and took
millions of lives; men and women, young and old,
combatants and civilians, and all the people ofdifferent nationalities before they realized what was
happening. Some of them are still missing or lack of
information. Sufferings still continue today. Most
importantly, atomic bombing was a murdercommitted by the decision of a handful men.
Atomic bomb is a weapon of the devil whose only
aim was destruction and killing and cannot coexist
with humans.
August 1945, humans entered a new era. It is a
nuclear age where they were confronted with analternative, to let nuclear weapons destroy us or toeliminate these weapons to protect ourselves andthe blue earth.
During 7 years of occupation, nuclear damage
and sufferings were covered up. Any attempts to
rescue the sufferers, to investigate into the damage
or to give testimonies were obstructed andoppressed. The Hibakusha had been abandoned forthe 12 years after the bombing when rescue andsupport were most needed.
August 10, 1956, the Hibakusha formed Nihon
Hidankyo here in Nagasaki, pledging to “saveourselves as well as the crisis of mankind throughour own experiences” as the greetings to the world.
Sixty-two years since then, Hidankyo has kept
this pledge, maintained the unity, testified about therealities of exposure to radiation, conducted solid
investigation and studies, worked hard forelaborating demands and struggled for theirrealization. We have been calling for “No More
Hibakusha”, “No more nuclear war” and “Abolishnuclear weapons”. Anyone else must go throughand suffer what we experienced.
The third nuclear war has been prevented so far.
It is the fruit the Hibakusha and the world citizens
earned together and so is the adoption of nuclear
weapon ban treaty.
The “state compensation to A-bombing
sufferers” has been denied by the successive
governments using the logic that sacrifice of war
should be accepted equally by the population. They
have never offered their apologies or compensation,
not only to A-bomb sufferers but also to the victimsof air strikes and Okinawa battle. Why, under theJapanese Constitution, would the Japanese people

Greetings on Behalf of the Hibakusha:
Kido Sueichi
Secretary General, Japan Confederationof A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations(Nihon Hidankyo)
I am Kido Sueichi, Secretary General of Nihon
Hidankyo. I thank for this opportunity to speak onbehalf of the Hibakusha.
One year has passed since the last World
Conference, and the world is moving forward
slowly but steadily to the elimination of nuclear
weapons especially after the adoption of the Treayon the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to ICAN which
contributed to the adoption of the TPNW. It was a
blessing for us all.
Despite the pressure from nuclear possessing
states, there are campaigns to call on governments
to sign and ratify the TPNW in many countries,
including Japan, the US and other nuclear
possessing states. We have no reason to be
pessimistic about 60 signing states and 14 ratifying
states.
The “Hibakusha Appeal International Signature
Campaign for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons”
has widely spread across Japan and overseas. Over8.7 million signatures have been collected as of theend of July. This is another 3.6 million signatures in
addition to the 5.15 million which were submitted112

have to accept the damage of a war fought under
Meiji Constitution? I cannot understand it. We
demand the establishment of a mechanism to breakthrough such logic of acceptance of sacrifice inorder to refuse the use of nuclear weapons in war
and indeed not to repeat any war.
But we already have such a mechanism meant
not to repeat war. It is in our hands: Article 9 of theJapanese Constitution. Friends, let us preserve andmake a good use of the Article 9.
Prime Minister Abe opposes the TPNWN andcontinues to refuse signing and ratifying it.
Hibakusha are angered and outraged at him. Mr.
Abe, do you intend to abandon Hibakusha again?
The people of Japan are anxious and outraged atyour attempt to revise the Article 9 and create “acountry to engage a war”.
“Mr. Abe, What country’s Prime Minister areyou?” As Prime Minister of Japan, you have theobligation to protect humans from nuclear damage
and sufferings as the Prime Minister of only Abombed country. You also have the obligation tocomply with the Japanese Constitution.
In concluding my speech, I wish that theJapanese government will stand front and firm toprotect the lives and security of people of the world.
I also wish the great success of the International
Hibakusha Signature Campaign.

wrought by the atomic bomb on our bodies. Humans
and nuclear weapons cannot coexist. The only way
to ensure that nuclear weapons will never be usedagain is to eliminate all nuclear weapons.”Three years ago, he wrote a message entitled“My will”: It reads:“Burnt on my back, I was unable to move, but
had to stay lying on my stomach for one year and 9months. The flesh of my chest was rotten due tobedsores. You could see my heart throbbing
between my ribs. In pain and agony I resented war,
the atomic bomb and adult people.
“But even though I was in pain and agony andeven though I wished I would die, I was still alive
as a human, while many other people had been
killed by the atom bomb.
“Even if my grudge were dispelled, thosemurdered by the atomic bomb would not come back.
Nor would my body revert to normal. What should
I do? I steeled myself to engage myself in activities
to ensure that there will be no more Hibakusha. It
was a mission for those were given their lives then”(Kept alive, I leave my will – 70th year of sufferingfrom the bomb, pp. 246-251).
For the Nagasaki Hibakusha, August 9, 73 years
ago was a starting point of the suffering from the Abombing, as well as the agonies of living on. Justa single bomb killed some 74,000 people, injured
another 75,000, and remains active in the bodies ofthe Hibakusha, thus tormenting them until they die.      
On that day when I was caught by the explosion,
I and a close friend of mine had just climbed a fenceof the school to catch cicadas. At the moment
when I heard my friend saying, “a cicada flew
towards you”, there was a flash like lightening, anda shock like an earth tremor. I was blown away inthe yellowish blast waves and fell senseless.
When I came to myself, I was covered by theruins of a destroyed house and had burns on my legs
from knees to ankles, though they were not so badly
damaged that I was unable to walk. My house near
the school was destroyed, yet my mother, elder
sister and younger brother all managed to get into ashelter and were unscathed. Then, fire spread. We
desperately fled to a cemetery in the hills. It was so
horrifying to see the town where we used to live
burning that I was unable to sleep a minute. I just
waited for the dawn.
The time when I felt relieved and joyous that I
had not died quickly passed. Members of my family
who had not even been injured began to die one
after another. In the back of our minds we wonderedin fear, who would be next, or who would be preyed
on by the A-bomb.
My younger brother, whom I had led by thehand to the cemetery on that day, died in the 25thyear after the bombing after contracting a weird

Kim Seong Un
Korean Atomic Bomb Casualty Association
R.O.K.
(Please see page 19)

Special Program: 73 Years since
Nagasaki - Voices from Nagasaki:
Otsuka Kazutoshi
Hibakusha of Nagasaki/ Nagasaki
A-Bomb Survivors’ Council
Testimony of the Atomic Bombing
Hello, dear friends from Japan and all aroundthe world committed to making “a world free of
nuclear weapons.” My name is Otsuka Kazutoshi.
I suffered from the A-bombing when I was a 10year-old student at a primary school located about 3
km from ground zero.
I am very sad that we do not have Taniguchi
Sumiteru with us in this hall any longer. Holding up
the picture of his back burnt crimson, he used tomake this soulful cry: “Please don’t look away frommy back. We Hibakusha have abominable scars

113

disease called cancrum nasi. His nose and lungs
were rotten and in 10 days he died of asphyxia.
In response to the question of whether his death was
an after-effect of the A-bombing, his doctor said,“Of the diseases of the Hibakusha, nothing can beaffirmed as having nothing to do with the effect of
the bomb. But, to our shame as doctors, we do notknow the cause of it and still less the remedy for it.
I am sorry.” His wife who attended on him, and who
was also a Hibakusha, soon followed him. She
died of pancreatic cancer.
My elder sister married another Hibakusha andtheir child died of aplastic anemia and malignant
lymphocytic sarcoma. Newspaper reports said,“Second generation Hibakusha died of A-bombdisease symptoms”, “The A-bomb claims the life of
the next generation”. This first case of the death of
a second generation Hibakusha in Nagasaki caused
widespread shock. The doctor of the University ofNagasaki who held the autopsy said that, since theparents were both Hibakusha, the child wasconsidered vulnerable to cancer. This happened 26
years after my sister was exposed to the A-bombing.
By now I have lost three second generation
Hibakusha relatives.
In the 28th year, my mother died. In the postwar years, the Hibakusha were left destitute. My
mother went out for day labor, without any lunch, tosupport our livelihood. She contracted breast cancer,
kidney cancer and then a carcinoma. It was only
when her body was autopsied at the A-bomb
Hospital that she finally benefitted from a
meticulous medical check. It was the first and lasttime for her. My father had been killed in action
at the age of 38 at the Battle of Iwojima, before theBattle of Okinawa took place. His ashes did notcome back home, nor do I have any memory of his
funeral. War means that those in power makehumans disposable.
I have survived thanks to a nitroglycerin spray
which I carry in my pocket in case of a sudden heart
attack and an inhaled drug to alleviate breathingtrouble from lung obstruction. I also keep anotherset at my bedside. I will never forgive war or theatomic bomb. I cannot easily accept my death until
such inhuman weapons are eliminated from theearth. So believing, I have engaged in telling mystories of the suffering from the A-bomb.
During this one year since the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted, themovement for “a world without nuclear weapons”
has made historic progress. The Abe Government,even though it is the government of the country
bombed with atomic weapons in war, refuses toparticipate in the TPNW and is running counter toArticle 9 of the Constitution, as well as the courseof history, by clinging to the “nuclear deterrence”

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doctrine. It is of vital importance to press for achange in this attitude.
The Hibakusha will use all the time left of ourlives, working hand-in-hand with second- and thirdgeneration Hibakusha, to bear witness to thedamage caused by the atomic bombings, and help
build momentum in the signature campaign insupport of the “Hibakusha Appeal”.
Let us together, dear friends, move forward
toward achieving “a world without nuclear weapons”
to fulfill the desire of the Hibakusha, and, in fact, of
the whole of humanity.

Action for a World without Nuclear
Weapons - Speeches by Overseas
Delegates:
Oleg Bodrov
Public Council of the South Coast of the
Gulf of Finland/ Film director
RussiaCold Nuclear War in the Baltic Sea andMobilization of the Anti-War Community
Dear participants of the conference! Today I'm
here with you not only to bow my head in memoryof the victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, andFukushima. I am here to unite our efforts against the
expansion of military and so-called peaceful atomic
technologies.
Unfortunately, Japanese historical lessons ofusing "military" and "peaceful" nuclear energy are
not learned in many parts of our planet.
I am from the Еastern part of the Baltic Sea
region, close to St. Petersburg, Russia. Through theBaltic Sea, there is a line of confrontation between
Russia and NATO.
Here the military exercises of NATO and Russia
are developing rapidly and steadily. Tens of
thousands of soldiers from both sides take part inthem. During the exercises, the use of nuclear
weapons is simulated.
The Russian government has publishedconditions under which Russia will be the first touse nuclear weapons. This can happen even if thethreat from outside is not linked to the use of nuclear
weapons. In the same time according to the Ministryof Foreign Affairs of the Russia, "the prohibition of
nuclear weapons contradicts the national interestsof Russia."
During recent military exercises, President
Putin personally launched the Russian "nuclear
triad". Four transcontinental missiles were launchedfrom submarines, as well as from air and ground-based facilities capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Thus, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Russia
demonstrated a psychological readiness to use
nuclear weapons.
Dear colleagues, I have lived a few kilometersfrom the one of the largest nuclear clusters on ourplanet. Here, 10 military and civilian nuclear
reactors were built and 3 new reactors are currently
under construction. In addition, there are 5,000 tonsof spent nuclear fuel assemblies containing as muchplutonium as there were in 3,000 bombs dropped on
Nagasaki.
In addition, more than 30 NPP nuclear reactors
were built and 4 are currently under construction inother countries of the Baltic Sea Region.
If a nuclear conflict in the Baltic Region begins,
it will be a socio-ecological collapse for 100 million
inhabitants of the Baltic region.
My colleagues from Scandinavia and I initiatedthe collection of signatures around the Baltic region
with calls to the leaders of NATO countries andRussia, European and Russian Parliamentarians tostop the confrontation and militarization of theBaltic region.
We called on the parliaments of the countries
around the Baltic to finance programs to save theBaltic ecosystem instead of military games.
Under our call, 110 representatives of nongovernmental organizations from the Baltic region,
as well as the United Kingdom, France and theUnited States signed.
Dear participants of the Conference, Russianauthorities promote the idea that enemies surroundthe country, and it is necessary to invest allnecessary national resources in military
preparations. Thanks to this, the militarization of
the public consciousness can be intensified and theuse of military force is justified.
A similar situation with the political mainstream
about NATO exists in the European Union countries.
The politicians of NATO, EU and Russia try toseparate us, to make us enemies.
We are against such a strategy!
If you come to the countryside near St.
Petersburg, Hiroshima or Nagasaki and ask thepeople what is most important for you in life?
I am sure that most people will say: the healthof children and relatives, a healthy peacefulenvironment, decent work.
Dear friends, we live in our common house –Planet Earth!
We raise our children together with you andneed a healthy environment.
Together we can and must stop nuclear
expansion and the militarization of public
consciousness in our countries.

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Let us unite our efforts to save our planet Earthfrom “military” and “peaceful” nuclear
technologies.
No more Hiroshima, No more Nagasaki, No
more Chernobyl, No more Fukushima!

Siobhon MacmanusGuåhan Coalition for Peace and JusticeGuam
It is an honor to be here in Japan as a peacemarcher from Guam, to have walked with so many
activists from Fukuyama all the way to Hiroshima
City. I have been deeply humbled these past few
days to learn and hear from the hibakusha, who havebeen in this fight against nuclear weapons for 73
years. Their voice is critical to bringing forth an eraof peace free from weapons of mass destruction, notonly in Japan but around the world.
My home, Guam, has been under US militaryoccupation for more than 100 years. Our struggle ismuch like Okinawa. Under US Navy rule from 1901
to 1940, Guam’s native language was banned in all
American schools and businesses. As military bases
grew, Guam became a target and Japan soon
invaded the island.
My grandmother and grandfather sufferedthrough the Japanese occupation. They were forced
to work in labor camps. They watched as theirfriends and families were starved, slaughtered, orused as comfort women. What Japanese soldiers didin China and Korea, they also did in Guam.
During the Battle for Guam, American bombs
destroyed
many villages,
including my
grandmother’s. American military then stole native
lands in order to expand their bases. My grandfather
and many of the WW II generation could not returnto their homes because the military took over.
America never paid them. Today, a generation of
war survivors in Guam will never see reparations
the US promised to pay.
Now, the US military occupies 25% of Guam’s
land, and controls 30% of our economy. In Guam,
we are US citizens who cannot vote for ourpresident even though we are used in US wars.
The Japanese government is currently
supporting the relocation of US Marines from
Okinawa to Guam by funding the expansion of US
military bases in the northern part of my island. 89
million dollars of this 700 million dollar project tofurther demolish my home will come from Japanesepeople’s taxes.
And last year, Guam made worldwide news
when we became the target for North Korea’s
nuclear threats.

These recent events are not disconnected. Aslong as Guam and other islands in the Pacific remain
occupied by military forces, the threat of war also
remains.
Our people have lived like this for too long. We
refuse for our islands to only exist as military
battlegrounds. We cannot demand for the end of
nuclear weapons without confronting the military
powers in the Pacific. The North Korean, American,
and Japanese governments must be held
accountable by those of us who want a future
without war. This is why the Guåhan Coalition for
Peace and Justice will continue to work in solidarity
with the Takae and Henoko activists.
Hokkaido. Honshu. Shikoku. Kyushu. Okinawa.
Bikini. Guam. Our islands may seem small, but
together we are many and we are strong.
Thank you all for welcoming the international
community into your home. We promise to continue
to fight for your future and ours. No human is free
until we are all free. Arigatou Gozaimashita!

Michelle Cunha
Peace Action/Massachusetts Peace Action
U.S.A.
Thank you for welcoming me to Nagasaki. It isan honor to be here. I’m here representing Peace
Action based in Washington, DC and the local
affiliate I work for Massachusetts Peace Action.
Today, here in Nagasaki, we are witnessing thepower of grassroots movements coming together tosolve the greatest threat to our planet in humanhistory: nuclear weapons. Our parents andgrandparents left us a legacy of death anddestruction but we, the new generation of antinuclear activists, are coming together in ways ourpredecessors could not. We are using social media
to break down the walls of silence and complicity.
We are using our voices to amplify the global callfor disarmament. We are using our humanity to
spread the message: nuclear weapons serve nouseful purpose.
The nuclear disarmament community in the
United States is reawakening to resist the new
nuclear arms race. Together we will work in our
respective communities to bring about the thing
every single one of us desires: complete, worldwide
nuclear disarmament.
Just last night, the City Council of Los Angeles,
California voted to urge the United States toembrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons and to end the President’s sole authority tolaunch a nuclear weapon, taking weapons off hairtrigger alert and cancel the plans to replace its entre
nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons.
116

While the task seems daunting I have no doubt
we will succeed. We will persevere in the face ofour critics. We will overcome any obstacle put inour way.
“FAILURE IS IMPOSSIBLE!” said Susan B.
Anthony when asked if women would ever get thevote in the US. I echo her sentiments: FAILURE IS
IMPOSSIBLE!
We will see a world free of nuclear weapons andnuclear power!

Lee Jun Kyu
Researcher, Center for Peace Researchand Education of KYOREH HANA
R.O.K.
Friends, I am very pleased to be here with you.
I am Lee Jun Kyu from the Republic of Korea.
Last year’s World Conference was held in thejoy over the adoption of the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons, an importantachievement of the world-wide anti-nuclear peace
movements over many years. On the other hand, wewere facing a growing tension involving the Korean
Peninsula. Belligerent words and actions were
exchanged between the US and the DPRK. The
situation now is a world away from what it was then.
On April 27, the two heads of two Koreas
agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration that there will
be no more wars on the Korean Peninsula and a newera of peace has opened and that they aim toestablish a permanent and solid peace regime on the
Korean Peninsula and confirmed the common goalof realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsulathrough complete denuclearization. On June 12, inthe first-ever Summit meeting in Singapore, theleaders of the US and DPRK issued a joint statement
which included the promise for a system of peaceon the Korean Peninsula, the assurance of North
Korean regime by the US and North Korea’s
determination for the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula.
Above all, it is important that the twoagreements confirmed the fact that in order toachieve a nuclear-free and sustainable peace byputting an end to hostility and threat of nuclear war,
the progress in the peace process of the Korean
Peninsula, from the declaration of the end of war
and peace treaty to a system of peace, is necessary.
At both levels - internationally and in East Asia - wenow stand at the crossroads to open the way for apeaceful era.
In East Asia, we have spent 70 years of historyof confrontations between the US and the DPRK aswell as North and South Korea in the course of theCold War. And it is 30 years since the tension over

nuclear issues heightened. There may be morechallenges to emerge and difficult negotiations tofollow. But I am convinced that the public opinion
and movement of the people against nuclear
weapons and for peace, which have brought about
this historic turning point, will not allow the present
current of the history to go backwards.
The San Francisco System laid the institutionalfoundation of the Cold War in East Asia. It createdthe structure of confrontation between East andWest blocs and gave rise to the politics of allianceof the U.S., Japan and ROK, placing nuclear
weapons at the top of the structure. It prevented thepeople in East Asia from overcoming the history ofimperialism and colonialism. And we are still
witnessing the legacy of the Cold War in Okinawa
where the reinforcement and expansion of US bases
continue against people’s protest, in Soseongri
where THAAD was deployed and in the DMZ, theplace with highest concentration of the mostadvanced weapons and military troops. The socalled “agreement on the issue of comfort women”
of 2016 between Park Geun-hye and Abe supportedby the U.S. was reached with the purpose ofstrengthening of military partnership between the
U.S., Japan and South Korea. It evidently proved
how the human rights and dignity of the victims ofhistory have been sacrificed for the sake of military
alliance and national security by the State power of
injustice against people’s will.
Friends, any systems based on geopolitics,
ideology and military confrontation structure are
already outdated. Politics of alliances, “nuclear
umbrella”, hostile relations and systems that havebuilt them are all ancient regimes that must be
defeated by the power of solidarity among people
across boundaries which has created the recentchanges. Taking advantage of the opportunities ofthe period of changes, we must work together togive rise to a new order of security and peace in East
Asia.
Historically, the Korean Peninsula has been theplace where interests of surrounding countries
intersect and often crush. This is the reason why I
believe that progress in the peace process of the
Korean Peninsula will offer a historic opportunity
leading to a new order of peace in this region. And
for an irreversible progress of this peace process,solidarity among the people of the world is essential.
I ardently hope that in the next year’s World
Conference, I will be able to report to you, saying,“We have put an end to the era of war of the Korean
Peninsula. We live in the era of peace now.”117

Corazon Fabros
Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition
Friends, I am deeply honored and grateful to
speak at our Nagasaki Day Rally. I bring solidarity
greetings from the Philippines and from theInternational Peace Bureau. This year’scommemoration touched me deeply to hear the calls
for unity despite our diversity, and the consolidationof our forces across movements, generations andpeoples here in Japan. And most specially thepresence of many young people as we have seen
during the Peace March and in this hall this morning.
In that spirit, I wish to thank the international
relay peace marchers this year. Your presence
provided encouragement to many young people
making the 60th year of the Peace March truly
meaningful. Let us double our efforts to reach out tomore young people and make the international
youth relay, truly representative of the future
generation’s commitment to the total elimination of
nuclear weapons and war.
Against the backdrop of rising fascist anddictatorial regimes in most of Asia and the Pacific,
the continuing advance of our campaign for theelimination of nuclear weapons and foreign militarybases faces tremendous challenge with thenarrowing democratic space necessary to advanceour cause. We must find ways to address our issues
comprehensively, creatively, inclusively forging
solidarities with other movements to broaden our
critical mass.
It is heartwarming to experience strong
leadership presence of my sisters in the women’s
movement. Your support for the Peace March andin the continuing struggles in many islands in Asiaand the Pacific is remarkable! The dynamic andcommitted leadership of our Korean sisters as they
host Women Cross DMZ – gives us a glimpse ofwhat could be a fulfillment of our long time hopefor united Korea at last! We must continue toprovide this quality of presence, in greater numbers
and passion to fight the continuing discrimination,
misogyny and marginalization of women, children
and peoples of color. No Women, No Peace!
Let us stand with the Hibakushas, whose fading
health and weakening voice bear witness to theinjustice and inhumane treatment by their own
governments and the government of the UnitedStates. Let us not forget those who have gone before
us . . . remembering them with deep gratitude in ourhearts, today and always . . . Senji Yamaguchi . . .
Sumiteru Taniguchi . . . Nelson Anjain . . manyothers . . . Let us be their collective and rallying
voice so that their determined call of “NEVERAGAIN A-BOMB!” will come to fruition. NO

MORE HIROSHIMA! NO MORE NAGASAKINO MORE HIBAKUSHA! NO MORE WAR!!
We express our continuing solidarity with thepeoples of Okinawa and share in their grief with thepassing of Governor Onaga, who in his lifetime
exemplified the leader who listened to his people,
courageous and determined to the end, loving andliving the Okinawan credo “Nuchi du takara”. Let
us honor him by continuing his legacy of a united
Okinawan resistance. During this critical period in
the Okinawan struggle, we call for support to stop
Henoko construction. . . The Okinawan people--of
all generations--have stood steadily and mightily
against the US and Japanese governments. Let us
help build the strongest movement against thecontinuing scourge of U.S. military occupation andintervention in our communities!
BEIGUN KITCHI IRANAI! (No US Bases!)
THE ONLY WAY TO WIN IS TO NEVER
GIVE UP!!!
TOMONI, GAMBARI MASHO! (Together, let
us carry on!)Grass-roots Movement of Japan:
Moriguchi Mitsugu
Nagasaki Association to Promote theInternational Hibakusha Appeal
Signature Campaign
Seventy-three years have passed since theatomic bombings. The bombs that dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the first nuclear
weapons used in human history. Nine countries in
the world currently possess a total of 14,560 nuclear
weapons whose destructive power together would
be tens of thousands larger than those used in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Seeking to abolish these weapons, in April 2016,
the Japan Confederation of A-and H-BombSufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo)
announced the launch of the “International
Signature Campaign in Support of the Appeal of the
Hibakusha for the Elimination of Nuclear
Weapons”. Following this announcement, in
Nagasaki, five Hibakusha organizations (theNagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, theNagasaki Atomic Bomb Bereaved Families
Association, two associations of A-bomb survivors’
certificate holders in Nagasaki Prefecture, and the
Hibakusha Liaison Council of the Nagasaki
Prefectural Peace Movement Center) held talks anddecided to be initiators of this signature drive locally.
The five organizations also agreed to entrust the roleof secretariat to the following 4 organizations:

118

Nagasaki Consumers’ Co-operative Union,
Nagasaki Congress Against A and H Bombs,
Nagasaki Council against A and H Bombs, and theNagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council.
The Hibakusha Appeal signature drive started in
Nagasaki on the occasion of U.S. President
Obama’s history-making visit to Hiroshima. A
kickoff rally took place in front of the Peace Statue
in the Peace Park and rally participants collected
234 signatures within 30 minutes from people,
including foreign tourists from 13 countries.
Nagasaki made a good start of the signature
campaign.
In August 2016, the Organizing Committee of
the Nagasaki Global Citizens' Assembly for the
Elimination of Nuclear Weapons joined as asecretariat member. In September, the Nagasaki
Association to Promote the Hibakusha Appeal
International Signature Campaign was officiallyestablished. The association as its leaders elected
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council Chair
Taniguchi Sumiteru and Nagasaki Global Citizens’
Assembly Organizing Committee Chair Tomonaga
Masao. The association decided to promote thesignature drive, solicit endorsement from a wide
range of individuals/organizations, increase publicawareness of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, and organize meetings to discuss
ways to abolish nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, Mr.
Taniguchi died in August 2017. Carrying on his will,
the association is working toward a goal ofcollecting 500,000 signatures in Nagasaki.
Representing the endorsers of the campaign,
Nagasaki Mayor Taue Tomihisa, Nagasaki
Governor Nakamura Hodo, Chair of the Nagasaki
Foundation for the Promotion of Peace Yokose
Akiyuki, and Nagasaki Global Citizens’ Assembly
Organizing Committee Chair Tomonaga Masao
released their names.
In tribute to the UN “International Day for the
Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons” on
September 26, every month on the 26th day, theassociation takes to the streets in downtown areas in
Nagasaki City to collect signatures. In this street
action, a song for the Hibakusha Appeal signaturecollection campaign and peace songs are sung.
Participants of the action range from the Hibakusha
to young people. Furthermore, in response to theassociation’s request, 21 of 22 municipal leaders in
the prefecture have signed the Hibakusha Appeal.
The association is tenaciously urging the Sasebo
City mayor, the last of the 22 municipal heads, tosign the appeal.
The citizens’ association holds a gathering at
each juncture. The success of reaching the 500,000
goal depends on our present and future efforts.

Takahashi Keiko
General Secretary, Fukuoka Council
against A & H Bombs (Fukuoka Gensuikyo)
In Moji city, Fukuoka Prefecture, we have aunique initiative of holding a peace rally organizedjointly by Gensuikyo, Gensuikin (Fukuoka
Congress Against A & H Bombs) and Kyoto Center(Kitakyushu Joint Struggle Center for Peace, Laborand Human Rights). It has continued for 6 years
based on the shared determination of theparticipants to achieve the abolition of nuclear
weapons. People from various horizons, including
trade unions, political parties, human rights andpeace groups join the rally and walk together in thePeace March in Moji area. This year, a total of 140
people from 24 organizations marched side by side.
In order to promote the “International
Hibakusha Appeal Signature Campaign” launchedon April in 2016, we formed the “Fukuoka
promotion committee” on July 14th, 2016. Twentynine organizations in total have joined thiscommittee,
including
Fukuoka
Hidankyo(Prefectural Federation of Hibakusha organizations),
Fukuoka Gensuikyo, Fukuoka Gensuikin, Fukuoka
Consumers’ Co-operative Union, Fukuoka City Abomb victims’ organization and Fukuoka City
Gensuikyo. We request mayors and local councilors
to offer their support for this signature campaign
and also carry out a signature drive once a month at
Hakata railway station.
Fukuoka is one of the cosmopolitan cities inJapan and we prepare English, Chinese and Korean
versions of signature forms when we take to thestreet. Once, a Japanese language school teacher
asked us whether we had signature forms in
different languages so that she could use them when
she teaches her students Japanese history.

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Local promotion committees complement theeffort in local areas that prefectural committee
cannot reach out. In Fukamachi elementary school
district in Wakamatsu ward, Kitakyushu city,“Fukamachi committee for promoting Hibakusha
signature campaign” was formed last September.
The group calls for cooperation on neighborhood
associations in the community, local public
facilities, nursery centers and temples and has so far
collected signatures from more than 20 percent of
the district population.
In Kurume City, Kurume Gensuikyo took thelead to form the “Kurume Hibakusha Signature
Campaign Promotion Committee” in January thisyear. They held an “A-bomb photo exhibition” from
July 18 to 22 at a gallery in a local shopping mall.
Through these community-based activities, wehave been carrying out our signature collection andtalking to people about the reality of the A-bombing
as well as the preciousness of life and peace. Our
slogan was: “If you know about the atomic bombing,share your knowledge with others; if you don’t, let’s
learn together!”
The initiatives in this year’s World Conference
have given me hope that young people will play amore and more promising role in future. Indeed, in
Hiroshima, young participants from Fukuoka
attended “Ring! Link! Zero!” on August 4. And they
organized an “exchange meeting of young
participants from Fukuoka” after the workshop on
August 5, bringing together 45 young people tolearn together and exchange their opinions.
Though we are slow starters, we have collected
140,000 signatures in Fukuoka so far. Our goal iscollecting one million signatures. In order toaccomplish it, veterans and young people, hand in
hand, will continue the struggle to make the world
free from nuclear weapons.

Appendices:
Overseas Delegates and Guests in the2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs
㻌

Representatives of National
Governments

Republic of Korea
Mr. Kim Seong Un, Korean Atomic Bomb
Casualty Association

Mr. Jamie Walsh, Deputy Director, Disarmament& Non-Proliferation, Department of Foreign
Affairs & Trade, Ireland

Mr. Yun Tae Won, Korean Atomic Bomb Casualty
Association
Mr. Gong Kee Yun, Korean Atomic Bomb
Casualty Association

Mr. Thomas Hajnoczi, Director for Disarmament,
Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Federal
Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign
Affairs, Austria

Mr. Lee Jun Kyu, Researcher, Center for Peace
Research and Education of KYOREH HANA

Mr. Claudio Monzón, Second Secretary, Embassyof the Republic of Cuba in Japan

Ms. Hwang Soo Young, Director, Center for Peaceand Disarmament, People’s Solidarity for
Participatory Democracy

Ms. Patricia Flechilla, Third Secretary, Embassy of
the Republic of Cuba in Japan

Mr. Park Seok Min, Director of Education Bureau,
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

Mr. Carlos Fernando Almada López, Ambassador
to Japan, United Mexican States

Ms. Choi Eun-Soon, Co-Representative, Korean
Women's Associations United (KWAU)

Mr. Seiko Ishikawa, Ambassador to Japan,
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 

Mr. Lee Jae Young, Civil Network for Justice inSports - Korea/ International Youth Relay Marcher

Representatives of Peace Movements
and Individuals

Ms. Jeong Seok Soon, Director of Youth andStudent Department, Korean Dentists’ Associationfor Healthy Society

Asia-Pacific

Mr. Chae Min Seok, Secretary General of Youthand Student Department, Korean Dentists’
Association for Healthy Society

Guam
Ms. Siobhon Mcmanus, Guåhan Coalition for
Peace and Justice/ International Youth Relay
MarcherMr. Kim Chang Woo, Korean Dentists’ Associationfor Healthy Society

The Philippines
Ms. Corazon Valdez Fabros, Secretary-General,
Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition/ Vice President,International Peace Bureau (IPB)

Ms. Shim Young Joo, Korean Dentists’ Associationfor Healthy Society/ Professor of Oral Medicine,
Wonkwang Univ. Dental Hospital

Mr. Magiting Fabros, Nuclear-Free Philippines
Coalition

Mr. Jung Sang, Korean Dentists’ Association for
Healthy Society

Mr. Guerrero AG Saño, Teach Peace, Build Peace/
Art Mission for Peace/ International Youth Relay
MarcherMr. Heo Won Beom, Youth and Student
Department, Korean Dentists’ Association for
Healthy Society
Ms. Ko Jeong Min, 1st grade student, Wonkwang
120

University College of Dentistry

VietnamMr. Dong Huy Cuong, Secretary General, Vietnam
Peace Committee

Ms. Kim Na Young, 2nd grade student, Wonkwang
University College of Dentistry

Mr. Bui Van Xien, Deputy Director, the Hoa Binh
Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs

Ms. Kim Min Jin, 2nd grade student, Wonkwang
University College of Dentistry

Nepal
Ms. Parijat Bhandari, Afro-Asian Peoples’
Solidarity Organization of Nepal (AAPSO-Nepal)

Ms. Kim Chae Eun, 2nd grade student, Wonkwang
University College of Dentistry

Mr. Rabindra Adhikari, National Coordinator,
Nepal Peace and Solidarity Council (NPSC)/World Peace Council (WPC)Mr. Jun Jin, 2nd grade student, Wonkwang
University College of Dentistry
Ms. Jo Hye Jin, 2nd grade student, Wonkwang
University College of Dentistry

Mr. Ghanashyam Rijal, National Council Member,
NPSC

Ms. Cha Soo Jeong, 2nd grade student, Wonkwang
University College of Dentistry

Mr. Shiv Adhikari, National Council Member,
NPSC

Ms. Song Hae Jin, Secretary General of Korean
Pharmacists’ Association for Healthy Society

Ms. Shashi Kala Bhetwal, National Council
Member, NPSC

Ms. Lim Seong Mi, Association of Physicians for
Humanism/ Emergency medicine doctor

Mr. Khum Prasad Sharma, Global Network
Against Weapons and Power in Space, Nepal/
Lecturer, Tribhuvan University

Mr. Jang Young Woo, Director of medical serviceof Association of Physicians for Humanism/
Cardiologist

Mr. Suresh Paudyal, Global Network Against
Weapons and Power in Space, Nepal/ AssistantProfessor, Purbanchal University

Ms. Lee Bora, Secretary General of Association of
Physicians for Humanism/Pulmonologist

India
Mr. Potturi Narayana Rao, Lead Foundation

Ms. Kim Hyun Sook, Association of Physicians for
Humanism/ Pediatrician

Ms. Manisha Gaur, Roopantaran Training andDevelopment pvt ltd.

Mr. Lee Hyo Jik, Staff of Korean Dentists’
Association for Healthy Society

EuropeMs. Lee Miok, Staff of Association of Physiciansfor Humanism

RussiaMr. Oleg Bodrov, Chairperson, Public Council of
the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland/ Filmdirector

Ms. An Eunsun, Reporter of Gunchinews
Ms. Kim Ji Hyun, Head of PR department ofGreen Hospital

SwedenMr. Alex Jajil, Researcher

China
Mr. Chen Zhe, Chinese People’s Association for
Peace and Disarmament/ Assistant Research
Fellow, Department of International Politics
Theory, Institute of World Economics and Politics,
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

FranceMr. Pierre-Louis Cazaux, French Peace Movement(Le Mouvement de la Paix)
Ms. Ninon Cazaux, French Peace Movement

Ms. Yei Hsuan Huang, Lan An Cultural and
Educational Foundation, Lanyu/ International
Youth Relay Marcher, Taiwan

Ms. Julia Coulon, French Peace Movement
Ms. Régine Scaps, French Peace Movement

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Ms. Christine Rosenberg, French Peace Movement

Ms. Alicia Sanders-Zakre, Staff, Arms Control
Association/ Board member, Campaign for Peace,
Disarmament and Common Security

Ms. Arlette Jean, French Peace Movement
Ms. Corinne Frison, French Peace Movement

Mr. Jerald Ross, Treasurer, Campaign for Peace,
Disarmament and Common Security

Ms. Charlotte Demathieu, French Peace Movement
Ms. Michelle Cunha, Peace Action/ Assistant
Director, Massachusetts Peace Action

United Kingdom
Ms. Rachel Melly, Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament (CND)/ Yorkshire CND

Ms. Emily Rubino, Peace Action New York/International Youth Relay Marcher

Middle East & Africa

Ms. Emilie Clark, Peace Action New York/International Youth Relay Marcher

Egypt
Mr. Atef Ahmed, Oleander Initiative, University of
the Middle East Project/ Freelance educational
consultant

Ms. Karlene Griffiths Sekou, Black Lives Matter
Boston/ Principal Consultant, Dignity ProjectInternational

JordanMs. Hala Alawi, Oleander Initiative, University of
the Middle East Project/ Biology teacher

Mr. John Steinbach, Co-Coordinator, HiroshimaNagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital
Area

LebanonMs. Rawan Yaghi, Oleander Initiative, Universityof the Middle East Project/ Educational Director &English teacher

Ms. Kari Thompson, Director of International
Strategies and Co-Director of Education, United
Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America(UE)

MoroccoMs. Samira Id El Cadi, Oleander Initiative,
University of the Middle East Project/ Teacher
supervisor

Mr. Ray Matsumiya, Executive Director,
University of the Middle East Project/ Oleander
Initiative
Ms. Michelle Emmett, Oleander Initiative,
University of the Middle East Project

Mr. Mostafa Mouhibe, Oleander Initiative,
University of the Middle East Project/ English
teacher

Ms. Judy Dalgo, Oleander Initiative, University of
the Middle East Project/ Teacher

Ms. Samia Wardane, Oleander Initiative,
University of the Middle East Project/ EFL teacher

Ms. Mariah Pol, Oleander Initiative, University of
the Middle East Project/ Teacher

Palestine
Ms. Rita Doqmaq, Oleander Initiative, Universityof the Middle East Project/ University Researcher& Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator

Ms. Nina Corley, Oleander Initiative, University of
the Middle East Project/ Teacher
Mr. Ronald Eisenman, Oleander Initiative,
University of the Middle East Project/ Teacher

Tunisia
Mr. Ezzeddine Saidi, Oleander Initiative,
University of the Middle East Project/ English
teacher

Ms. Mary Popeo, Oleander Initiative Program
Manager of the University of the Middle East
Project

North & South America

Mr. Steve Leeper, Oleander Initiative, Universityof the Middle East Project

U.S.A.
Mr. Joseph Gerson, Chair, Campaign for Peace,
Disarmament and Common Security/ Vice
President, International Peace Bureau (IPB)

122

International & Regional Organizations

Ms. Shibata Masako, Executive Committee
member, Women’s International Democratic
Federation (WIDF)/ President, Japan Federation of
Women’s Organizations

Mr. Donald Mellman, International Physicians for
the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)/ Oleander
Initiative, University of the Middle East Project

Massages of Solidarity from Overseas to the2018 World Conference against A and H Bombs
reflecting and discussing inspire you! We need theaction you foster.
We all are working to get the nuclear ban treaty
in force, but it is urgent, with the high risk of nuclear
war, that we push hard for de-alerting, ending firstuse doctrines and modernization of nuclear arsenals,
and getting serious reductions in them.
I send all my good wishes for the success of
your work together. Press on to free the world fromthe scourge of nuclear weapons!

National Governments/ International
Organizations:(Please see page 10 for the texts)
Austria
Alexander Van der Bellen, Federal President
BrazilMichel Temer, President
Ireland
Michael D. Higgins, President

Gediminas Rimdeika, M.D.
Lithuanian Green Party
Dear friends, associates and organizers of The
World Conference,
Today you have gathered to celebrate the 73rd
anniversary of the Dreadful World Tragedy. You
have gathered from all the continents of the world,
once again to tell the nations of the world, theirleaders, NO TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
At present time, in the palace of the Governmentof the Republic of Lithuania, thirty paintings arebeing exhibited showing the tragedy of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. In Lithuania, this exhibition was
exhibited at Lithuanian Parliament, schools,
libraries, etc. Representatives of Lithuania andforeign states, businessmen, diplomats are visiting
the Government Palace. This is where we can bereminded about the tragic consequences of bombing.
This is an occasion when we can spread thisinformation to people’s hearts. This exhibition isgoing through schools and libraries not by chance.
These are the places where we are educating our
future ministers, prime ministers, presidents. Afterseeing and understanding the consequences of suchactions, they will actively take steps to stop the
production of nuclear weapons. They will initiate
ban of nuclear weapons.
My associates from Lithuania and me, fortwenty-six years, have been participating in the
Movement against Nuclear and Hydrogen weapons,participating in The World Conferences held in
Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Shizuoka. The people ofour country since 1986 have experienced the

Laos
Bounnhang Vorachith, President
Nepal
K. P. Sharma Oli, Prime Minister/ Patron, AfroAsian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization of Nepal(AAPSO Nepal)
South Africa
Cyril Ramaphosa, President
Viet NamTRẦN ĐẠI QUANG, President
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
Seiko Ishikawa, Ambassador to Japan, Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela
International Committee of the Red Cross
Peter Maurer, President

Anti-nuclear and Peace Movements:
Phyllis Creighton
Toronto (Hiroshima Day Coalition), Canada
As we gather in many places around the globe
to remember the horrific atomic bombings ofHiroshima and Nagasaki, I send greetings to you in
hopes you will have a meaningful conference. May123

I hope that the deliberations will lead to puttingpressure on the 9 Nuclear Nations who are reluctant
to join the Nuclear Abolition treaty. I wish that anaction program is chalked out in this direction.
Wishing you a great success of the Conference.

consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
accident and have repeatedly signed petitions
against atomic and hydrogen weapons and handed
them to Organizers of The World Conference. The
only nuclear Ignalina power plant in Lithuania wasclosed in 2009, but the problem of nuclear power
plants remains relevant in Lithuania even today. At
the initiative of the Russian Federation, only 50 km
from Lithuanian border in Belarus, Astravsk
Nuclear Power Plant is being built, and in the west
a few kilometers away from the western border of
Lithuania in the Kaliningrad Region of the RussianFederation another nuclear power plant arises.
Lithuania is surrounded by nuclear power plants.
These nuclear power plants are being built in
violation of international legal norms, they arebeing constructed without responding to thecomments of international organizations.
The world is currently living in not the mostpeaceful period of time, wars in various parts of theworld, the proliferation of weapons, all of thishinder the development of civilization as hugemoney goes not to raise the welfare of people. The
US and North Korean leader summit is a small step
forward stopping production of nuclear weapons,
but will they have enough transparency, decency
and proper action to fulfil promises to stop nuclear
tests. During the US and Russia presidents’ summit
in Helsinki this July, journalist who wanted toremind an issue nuclear weapons, was pulled out of
the hall in the most rigorous way. What is this? Is
this a new democratic dictatorship, or it is a newform of dictatorial democracy? Such behavior
makes it doubtful whether an open and coherent
solution is possible. Only sincere agreements is aright way to solve problems. This was demonstrated
by the trade cooperation agreement signed in July
between the European Union and Japan, which
opens European markets for Japan and Japanesemarkets are opened to Europe.
In 2017 in Oslo an award of Nobel Peace Prize
ICAN - International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons, was handed. This is an evaluation of
Gensuikyo's work.
Our generation must carry out this glorious duty
every minute, every hour, every day, every week,
month, year, in order to leave environment (not only
literally but also in our minds) to the next
generations as clean as possible.

Simbirtseva Zoya Mikhailovna,
Member of the Coordination Council, theInternational Antinuclear Movement<Nevada-Semipalatinsk>
Dear organizers of the World Conference against
Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, Dear Secretary
General Yasui Masakazu,
I congratulate you on your excellent work toprotect the world from nuclear weapons. Your
active position in the international arena is bearing
fruit. Nuclear arsenals are being reduced, nuclear
test sites are silent. Your country had to survive thenuclear bombing of the cities of Hiroshima andNagasaki. This tragedy is irreplaceable for thepeople.
We, the Semipalatinsk people, know what kindof damage to the health of the people and theenvironment caused 40 years of nuclear tests at thesite, even at a distance of 180 km from the city.
We joined the international anti-Nuclear Movement"Nevada-Semipalatinsk" under the leadership of
Olzhas Suleimenov. In 1989 and 2 years later thesite was closed. But during the 40 years of nuclear
tests and in the years that followed, more than 2
million people were affected. My family almost all
died of cancer.
I am disabled 2 groups from SIAP for a common
disease and moved to live in Russia in the city of
Togliatti to her daughter. My health is very bad.
I was at your conference in 1996 when Hiroshi
Taka was Secretary-General. And he and thedelegation came to Semipalatinsk together with thedelegation of Masahiko Takagi, Mikio Kazhim,
Chieko Uto. Please pass along a big Hello to
Hiroshi Taka and Chieko Uto. With the move I losttheir address and would like to restore conversation
with them and invite them to visit the Russian cityof Togliatti. The city is beautiful. People are kindand attentive, great workers. World football washeld in summer. It was a peaceful sport competitionand demonstrated great friendship between the
Nations.
Dr. Guido Grünewald
International Speaker, German Peace SocietyUnited War Resisters (DFG-VK), Germany
Dear friends,
On 6 and 9 August we commemorate in many
German cities and communities the victims of theatomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We
honour the dead, commemorate survivors still alive

J. Narayana Rao
Director, Global Network against Weapons andNuclear Power in Space, India
I know that you are very busy witharrangements with the World Conference. I regretthat due to my health problem I have cancelledattending this year Conference.

124

This year, our global movement was recognized
and celebrated when ICAN, the International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, won theNobel Peace Prize. There are now 468 organizations
from 101 countries partnered in this coalition. We
continue to celebrate 122 countries voting to pass aban on nuclear weapons, and the growing
momentum towards its ratification, thanks to yourunending activism. We celebrate, too, the ongoingpeace talks on the Korean Peninsula, and theincredible efforts of our international peacecommunity to rally support for a diplomatic pathforward.
The work we are doing in unison is imperative.
Thank you for acting.
We extend a special message of support andsolidarity to our siblings in Hiroshima, who
experienced great loss and trauma due to extreme
weather conditions. Our hearts extend to you andyour communities as you rebuild and recover.
Because our world is one, we cannot be silent about
our governments' need to address climate change,poverty, and inequality – and demand they pursue
policies rooted in justice and peace. The alternative
future is unbearable, and thus we must persist.
We stand in solidarity with you, in pursuit of ourshared goals. We work alongside you to create theworld we can envision. And, we celebrate the joysof our struggle with you, and the inspiration we findin you.
No More Hibakusha! No More War!
Your friends at Peace Action.

and their descendants and we are grateful for thosehibakusha who came to our country during the last
decades and by their moving testimony reminded usof our responsibility to free the world of nuclear
weapons.
Today the situation is difficult and dangerous.
On the one side we have the inspiring treaty on theprohibition of nuclear weapons from last year bywhich an overwhelming majority of states
confirmed their wish to abolish all nuclear weapons.
On the other sides we see that the nuclear weapons
states are building up their arsenals and that thetermination of the agreement with Iran creates an
incentive for states to develop their own nuclear
arms. The threshold for military interventions has
become lower and in many regions of the world
conventional armament is increasing. There is alsoa renaissance of an accentuated national policy up
to a growing nationalism often combined with
racism.
Even though we are in a weak position we haveto counter these developments. Core aim of theWorld Conference against A- and H-Bombs is andremains complete nuclear disarmament and theabolishment of all nuclear weapons. We should,
however, also fight against the policy of national
strength and of “my country first” and make clearthat global problems like climate change, hunger
and poverty can be countered effectively only byacting multilaterally based on solidarity.
We wish the World Conference against A and H
Bombs all the best and hope that it can make animportant contribution to meet those challenges.

World Peace Council(Please see page 53 for the text)

Tomas Magnusson
Former President of IPB and former Presidentof Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society,
SwedenDear friends,
With all my appreciation and with all mythankfulness, please accept my greetings to theWorld conference. We must celebrate what has beenachieved in our common struggle for peace and give
each other the energy necessary to reach the final
goal of total abolition of all nuclear weapons.

Rene Wadlow
President, Association of World Citizens
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to send you well in advance ouryearly message on behalf of the Association ofWorld Citizens for the participants in the 6 August
meetings. I thought that some of it could betranslated into Japanese.
With all best wishes, Rene
A Concerted Non-Governmental Effort to
Reduce Regional Tensions
The recent Summit meetings between the
Presidents of North Korea and the USA and Russia
and the USA have helped to reduce tensions among
these nuclear-weapon-armed States. Nevertheless,tensions remain, and there is a long road to travel tohave stable peace conditions. Therefore there
needs to be a concerted non-governmental effort to
reduce regional tensions.
While there has been progress and useful
discussions on Korea and on US-Russia relations,

Peace Action, U.S.A.
To our dear friends in Japan, and from across theworld whom have joined together in the pursuit ofpeace,On this 73rd memorial of the devastation
inflicted on the cities and people of Hiroshima andNagasaki,
Peace
Actionexpresses
ourorganization’s solidarity with you, and our ongoingcommitment to doing the work, side by side, tobuild a movement for peace so loud that it cannot beignored.

125

condemns the Greek government SYRIZA-ANEL
that increasingly involves our country in the
NATO/EU criminal plans. They upgrade the NATO
Bases in Greece and prepare for the installation of
nuclear weapons in Araxos. At the same time they
spend huge sums for NATO military spending while
their permanent unpopular policies kneel our people.
The Greek government Syriza/Anel has a leadingrole in the implementation of USA/EU/NATO plansin the Western Balkans and the SouthEast
Mediterranean and great involvement in dangerous
adventures deriving from the antagonisms
NATO/RUSSIA.
We are struggling and demanding:- No involvement of our country in the imperialists
plans and interventions.
- The immediate closure of Souda Base in Crete aswell of all the NATO Bases.
- The Aegean Sea free of NATO.
- The return of all the Greek military missions from
NATO and EU operations abroad.
- ABOLITION OF ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONSAND PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR TESTINGS.
- Unleashing our country from NATO and the EUthat spread wars, poverty and refugees.
Dear fellow militants ,The women of our Federation will massively
participate in the antiimperialist demonstration
which is organized by EEDYE at the Sacred Rockof Acropolis in Athens on Thursday, August 9,2018sending the message for the abolition of all nuclear
weapons worldwide.
NEVER AGAIN HIROSHIMA.
NEVER AGAIN NAGASAKI

there has been no progress concerning regional
tensions in the wider Middle East. Therefore, theAssociation of World Citizens has been stressing theneed for a Conference on Security and Cooperationin the Middle East. Your energy and constructive
actions are necessary for the development of aharmonious world society.
Messages from Women’s Organizations to
the 2018 World Conference against A & H
Bombs and the Women's Forum (August 5):
Regina Marques, Women’s Democratic
Movement in Portugal (MDM)
MDM, women's democratic movement from
Portugal, welcomes the 2018 World Conference
against A and H Bombs that takes place from
August 3 to 9 in Hiroshima.
We wish to strengthen the bonds of solidarity
between Portuguese and Japanese women in the juststruggle for a world free of nuclear weapons.
The adoption of UN Nuclear-ban treaty in 2017
and the North Korea-US summit last June aresources of hope for us and we are fighting for these
documents must be fulfilled by all governments.
We salute our dear friend Masako Shibata, a greatinternational fighter for the cause of peace in theworld, president of FUDANREN and representativeof WIDF. We salute "women's forum", we are surethat Women together and united have been andcontinue to be an indispensable force in the struggle
for peace.
We don’t forget the horrors of the atomic bombof 1945 and we don’t despise the threats of our time.
That is why we trust that the struggle of women andtheir loud cry in all political spaces will build aworld of peace, social justice, a world without
violence where we can live freely and let the newgenerations grow with their peaceful dreams.

Ada Donno, Italy President, Association of
Women of the Mediterranean Region (AWMR)/WIDF Vice President
What are the next steps towards a world free of
nuclear weapons, after the UN-approved
nuclear prohibition Treaty in 2017 and thehistoric North Korea - United States summit
last June?

Federation of Greek Women (OGE, WIDF
Coordinator for Europe)
Dear fellow militants,
We honor the victims of the imperialist crime in
Hiroshima -Nagasaki by intensifying our struggle
against imperialism and its associations.
73 years after the imperialist atrocities in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki the NATO imperialists are
terrifying the people with the threat of a new nuclear
strike.
The competition race for controlling the wealthresources, the markets, the energy transportationroutes, the nightmarish decisions of the NATO
Summits, the strengthening of the EU militarization
constitute an immediate danger to our people and all
the peoples of the planet.
The Federation of Greek Women (OGE)

Dear Masako Shibata, president of FUDANREN,
Dear Yuri Horie vice president,
We are deeply convinced that the banning of all
nuclear weapons is an aspiration shared by all of
women and it is an imperative necessity to affirm
the principle that We are deeply convinced that the
production and use of nuclear weapons are to beabolished on the basis of international law,considering their devastating consequences at thehumanitarian level and the concrete risk that they
are actually used.
The end of the Cold War could have put an end

126to the nuclear arms race, but it did not happen: wewent from the "balance of terror" of the Cold War toa more dangerous "imbalance of terror", which
originates from the US pretension to increase its
advantage over all others, both in conventional
high-tech armaments and in nuclear weapons.
The possession of nuclear weapons gives acountry the status of power. Currently, ninecountries own them and at least another 30 countries
are able to build them. In the current situation of"imbalance of terror" the likelihood of even morecountries trying to own them increases.
To the countries that possess a nuclear arsenalmust be added those that "host" nuclear weapons on
their territories.
Italy in theory would be a non-nuclear country,
because in 1975 it ratified the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty by committing (Article 2) not
to produce or accept nuclear weapons on its territory.
But Italy, as an US allied country and a member ofNATO, « hosts » 90 US nuclear bombs and even
Italian pilots are trained to use them. So Italy
violates the signed and ratified nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
But it is not enough. According to thecommitments made by the government in theframework of the Atlantic Alliance, Italian militaryspending will be increased from the current 70
million euro a day to over 100 million. Increasing
military spending is a requirement for most EU
member states under the PESCO (Permanent
Structured Cooperation), although EU member
states impose strict austerity policies. It is a hugeoutlay of public money, which is subtracted fromsocial spending, for the benefit of a militarypolitical alliance whose strategy is not defensive, as
it proclaims, but offensive.
Especially serious is the fact that the US is
preparing to send in Italy, Germany, Belgium,
Holland and probably in other European countries,
the new particularly devastating nuclear bomb B6112. It is expected to produce about 500, startingfrom 2020.
The B61-12 nuclear bomb, which Italy will
receive from the US, will be a genuine "parcel
bomb" that will explode in our hands, because it will
expose Italy to new dangers as an "advanced base"of the US nuclear strategy against the Russia and theother Eastern and Mediterranean countries.
The continued expansion of NATO is againstinternational security.
How can we organize a more effective
opposition and new strategies towards a common

127

security policy in the 21st century?
In light of the UN Treaty and the historic North
Korea-US summit, our next steps will be towards
mobilization to request the Italian government:- to remove any US nuclear weapon from ourterritory;- to refuse the overall strengthening of US forces in
Europe and the new B61-12 nuclear bombs;- to refuse to supply the Pentagon pilots and aircraft
trained for the nuclear attack;- to leave the NATO Nuclear Planning Group;- to suscribe the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons.
Last March and April, AWMR Italy participatedin the Women's Caravan for Nuclear Disarmament,
which has touched many Italian cities and has
networked many pacifist and anti-militarist
movements and associations to support thecommitment of ICAN, Nobel Prize winner for the2017 Peace, aimed at achieving the elimination of
nuclear weapons. Our Women’s Caravan has tried
to sensitize the public opinion on the right of
humanity to live free from the nuclear threat and hascollected thousands of signatures in support of an
Appeal for Italy to join the 122 countries that in July
2017 voted the UN Nuclear Weapons Prohibition
Treaty.
For the mankind’s good and future.
Women’s International League for Peace andFreedom (WILPF) Italian Section
We, the women in WILPF Italy, would like tothank the organizers of this important international
event in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We hope the 2018
World Conference "For a world free from weapons,
nuclear, peaceful and fair" will help speed up thetime for the entry into force of the Treaty on
prohibition of nuclear weapons. It undoubtedly will
strengthen the cohesion between the antinuclear
movements and increase their ability to put pressure
on governments holding nuclear weapons and their
allies. It is urgent to convince governments that wemust exit the logic of deterrence and embark on acommon path aimed at countering the nuclear threat,
dangerously intertwined with the climate threat andthe threat of social injustice.
We want to express our sharing of theunspeakable suffering of the Hibakusha and othervictims of nuclear tests. We thank them for theirtireless work of sensitization through direct
testimony of the horror of nuclear weapons.
The courage of women opposing war andviolence will lead humanity to recover lost wisdom.

Program of Events of the 2018 World Conference against
A and H Bombs (August 2 to 10, 2018)
August 1 (Wed)
Dedication of flowers to Hiroshima A-Bomb Memorial Cenotaph (Peace Park); Visit to Peace Memorial
Museum; Registration (Hotel Sunroute Hiroshima)
Information meeting for overseas delegates (Hotel Sunroute Hiroshima)
August 2 (Thu.)
Visit to Hibakusha in 3 groups: 1) Funairi-Mutsumien Nursing Home for the Hibakusha; 2) Hiroshima Red
Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital; 3) Hiroshima Kyoritsu Hospital
Opening and Plenary Sessions I & II, International Meeting (Ginga, Hiroshima City Bunka Koryu Kaikan Hall)
August 3 (Fri.)Plenary Session III, International Meeting (Ginga, 3F, Bunka Koryu Kaikan Hall)
Workshops, International Meeting (Bunka Koryu Kaikan Hall and Tsuru Gakuen Hiroshima School)
Drafting Committee Meeting (Hotel Sunroute Hiroshima)
August 4 (Sat.)
Closing Session, International Meeting (Ginga, Bunka Koryu Kaikan Hall)
Arrival of the Nationwide Peace March (Fountain of Hiroshima Peace Park)
Opening Plenary, 2018 World Conference against A & H Bombs - Hiroshima (Green Arena, Hiroshima
Prefectural Gymnasium)
Youth Rally: Ring! Link! Zero! Youth Rally 2018 (Small Arena, Prefectural Gymnasium)
August 5 (Sun)Workshops/ Field trips (Different venues throughout Hiroshima City)
International Forum: For the Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons -- Dialogue between
Governments & NGOs (Hiroshima City Bunka Koryu Kaikan Hall)
Special meeting 1: For a nuclear weapon-free, bases-free Japan and solidarity with Okinawa (Hiroshima
Prefectural Kenko Fukushi Center)
Special Meeting 2: Non-Nuclear and Peaceful Korean Peninsula and Asia -- What role should Japan play?
(Convention Hall, Hiroshima YMCA)
No Nukes! Women’s Forum 2018 (Small Arena, Prefectural Gymnasium)
August 6 (Mon)
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (Peace Park)
Closing Plenary, 2018 World Conference – Hiroshima (Green Arena, Prefectural Gymnasium)
Lantern Floating Ceremony (Motomachi River Park, north of Aioi Bridge)

August 7 (Tue.)
Move to Nagasaki by chartered bus/train; Visit to A-Bomb Epicenter Park and A-bomb Museum
August 8 (Wed)International Forum: For the Prohibition and Elimination of Nuclear Weapons -- Dialogue between
Governments and NGOs (Nakabe Auditorium, Nagasaki University)
Visit to Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Genbaku HospitalAugust 9 (Thu.)
Nagasaki Day Rally, 2018 World Conference against A & H Bombs (Nagasaki Shimin Kaikan Gymnasium)
Nagasaki Day Street Signature Campaign (Hamanomachi Shopping Arcade)
Farewell Party (Nagasaki Washington Hotel)
August 10 (Fri.)
Departure of overseas delegates; Visit to local groups
128

List of Organizing Committee Members of theWorld Conference against A and H Bombs(As of August 2018)
Member Organizations (INPO):
National Confederation of Trade Unions (ZENROREN)
All Japan Teachers and Staff Union (ZENKYO)
Japan Federation of Private University Teachers' and Employees’ Unions
All Judicial Workers’ Union
Labor Union of MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, Tourism), JMA (Japan Meteorological
Agency) and Affiliates
All Japan Non-Life Insurance Labor Union
Japan Social Welfare and Child-Nursing Workers Union
National Confederation of Automobile Transportation Workers Unions
Japanese Democratic Writers Association
National Council of Singing Voice of Japan Organizations
Japan Federation of Women's Organizations (FUDANREN)
All Japan Federation of Student Unions (ZENGAKUREN)
League of Public Order Maintenance Law Victims for State Compensation
Japan Peace Committee
Japan-Eurasia Society
Japan-China Friendship Association
Japan Asia Africa Latin America Solidarity Committee
Japan Family Farmers Movement (NOUMINREN)
All Health and Welfare Ministry Workers Union
National General Workers Union - National Confederation of Trade Unions
Congress of Poets
National Federation of Tenants' Associations
Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (MIN-IREN)
National Council of Visual Disabled in JapanNew Japan Women's Association (SHINFUJIN)
Japan Customs Personnel Labour Union
Japan Federation of National Public Service Employees' Unions
Japan Federation of Publishing Workers' Unions
National Federation of Financial Industry Workers’ Unions
Japanese Red Cross Society Workers’ Union
Film and Allied Workers’ Union
Japan Realist Photographers Association
Japan Scientists’ Association
Association for Workers Education of Japan
Women's Democratic ClubJapan Council of Religionists for Peace
Japan Christians' Association for Peace
Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (GENSUIKYO)
Workers' Union of Health Insurance Hospitals
National Government Employees' Mutual Aid Association Hospital Workers' Union
Postal Industry Workers' Union
All Japan Construction, Transport and General Workers' Union
Japan Federation of Medical Workers' Unions
Japan National Hospital Workers’ Union
Japan-Korea Friendship Association
Japan Center, Asian Buddhists Conference for Peace
Democratic Youth League of Japan
National Federation of Traders and Producers Organizations (ZENSHOREN)

129

All Japan Federation of Medical Students Self-governing Associations
Central Liaison Conference of Youth and Students for a Bright Progressive Japan
Japan-Cambodia Friendship Association
National Confederation of Human Rights Movements in the Community
National Campaign Committee for Abrogation of the Japan-US Security Treaty
National Workers Union of Social Insurance Fee FundJapan-Vietnam Friendship Association
National Federation of Environmental Pollution Patients' Organizations
National Federation of Associations for Safeguarding Living and Health
New Japan Medical Association (Shin-I-Kyo)
All Justice Ministry Employees' Union
Liberty Lawyers Guild
National Forum for Peace, Democracy and Progressive Unity
New Japan Tanka Poets Association
All Japan Congress of Realist Theaters
National Council of Graduate Students
All Labor Ministry Workers' Union
All Japan Confederation of Warehouse and Transport Workers' Unions
National Council of Securities Industry Workers Unions
Water Resources Development Corporation Workers' Union
National Federation of JA Hospital Workers Unions
National Workers' Union of Labor Accident Hospitals
Liaison Conference of Cultural Organizations
Japan Clerks Union
Warabi-za Theater Group
Joint Struggle Conference of Welfare Ministry Workers Unions
Faculty and Staff Union of Japanese Universities
Japan Congress of Recreation Leaders
Workers Union of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Tele-Communication Workers’ Union
All Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers’ Union (JMIU)
Japan Federation of Prefectural and Municipal Workers' Unions (Jichiroren)
National Federation of Agricultural Co-op Workers Unions
Tokyo Metropolitan and Ward Governments Workers' Union
Legal Assistance and Human Rights Association of Japan
Japanese Federation of Commercial Broadcasting Workers' Unions
National Tax Office Workers' Union
Japan-Cuba Friendship Association
Japanese Medical and Dental Practitioners for the Improvement of Medical Care
Association for a Non-Nuclear Government
Japan Federation of Co-op Labor Unions
Japan Pensioners’ Union
Observer
Federation of National Diet Workers' Unions

Committee of Chairpersons:
AKAMATSU Koichi
ANZAI Ikuro
ANIYA Masaaki
ARAKAWA Yosei
EJIRI Mihoko
OTA Yoshiro

Representative Director, Japan Council against A and H Bombs
Director, Anzai Science & Peace Office (ASAP)
Professor emeritus, Okinawa International University
Buddhist monk/ Director General, Japan Council of Religionists for
Peace
Former President, Japan YWCA/ Professor emeritus, Tsuda College
President, National Federation of Traders and Producers
Organizations130

OMORI Masanobu
OGATA Yasuo
OSANAI Mieko
ODAGAWA Yoshikazu
KASAI Kimiyo
KOYAMA Minoru
SATO Mitsuo
SAMEJIMA Chiaki
SAWADA Shoji
SHIBATA Masako
TSUBOI Shunji
HATADA Shigeo
HAYASHI Tatsuya
FUJISUE Mamoru
MUROU Noboru

Professor emeritus, Hiroshima University
Executive Committee Vice-Chairperson, Japanese Communist Party
Scenario writer
President, National Confederation of Trade Unions (ZENROREN)
President, New Japan Women’s Association
President, Democratic Youth League of Japan
Representative Director, Japan Peace Committee
Advisor, Japanese Medical and Dental Practitioners for the
Improvement of Medical Care
Hibakusha / Professor emeritus, Nagoya University
President, Japan Federation of Women’s Organizations
Japan-Eurasia Society/ Former Executive member of Japan
Consumers’ Cooperative Union
Researcher of International Politics
Advisor, Hiroshima YMCA
President, Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions(MIN-IREN)
Advisor, Japanese Medical and Dental Practitioners for the
Improvement of Medical Care

Co-Chairpersons of the Steering Committee:
TAKAKUSAKI Hiroshi
NOGUCHI Kunikazu

Japan Council against A and H Bombs (GENSUIKYO)
Association for a Non-Nuclear Government

131

原水爆禁止2018年世界大会

Organizing Committee
World Conference against A and H Bombs

2-4-4 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8464 Japan
Tel: 03-5842-6034 Fax: 03-5842-6033
E-mail: intl@antiatom.org November 20182018 World Conference
against A and H Bombs
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 2-9, 20182018 World Conference against A & H Bombs

Organizing Committee
World Conference against A and H Bombs