Statements for the panel discussion
Japan Congress Against A-and H-Bombs(GENSUIKIN)
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Messengers
Yuichiro Muta, Minori Yasuno, Ozaki Kokoro

Ozaki Kokoro
Thank you so much for giving us the floor to speak. We would like to present ourstatement as high school students from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
We are Peace Messengers and Gensuikin. We have been conducting a petition
campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons for 26 years. Those signatures weredelivered to the United Nations headquarters, where many of us delivered ourspeeches and advocated for the survivors. We continue to spread awareness about
peacebuilding for international audiences by acknowledging the history of the war,and promoting Peace Education for youth around the world.
There are people all over the world, including in Hiroshima, who still suffer fromphysical and psychological trauma to this day, due to the legacy of radiation
exposure. The two atomic bombs did not allow survivors to live or pass away
humanely, just like Sadako Sasaki, who passed away due to leukimia, 9 years later
the bombing.
Minori Yasuno
Imagine the situation beneath the mushroom clouds. This is a photograph of Shoji
Tanizaki, a 13–year–old boy, who remained unidentified for over 71 years. He wasexposed to radiation in Nagasaki and became charred. On the morning of August
9th, he left home for school, and never came back. He was deprived of his future,and couldn’t retain his humanity, even in death. The bones of the many people whodied, with their anger and hatred, have been buried in the grounds of Nagasaki. The
atomic bomb survivors continue to demonstrate the inhumane consequences in theirtestimonies for us, young people, with tears in their eyes.
They say, and I quote, “Humans cannot coexist with nuclear weapons. Do notmake the same mistake again”
Now, we rely on weapons to hurt each other. It is our responsibility to take action for
the abolition of nuclear weapons and to achieve a sustainable peace withoutweapons.
Yuichiro Muta
I am the third generation Hibakusha. My grandfather is a survivor of the atomic
bombing in Hiroshima. He experienced the bomb at only 3 years old and had toremove maggots from burns every day, covering over half of his father's body. Even
now, 78 years after the atomic bombing, many survivors and their families, including
my grandfather, continue to suffer from the lasting effects, the genetic impact ofradiation across generations, and the fear associated with it.

The testimonies of survivors who have spoken about the reality of the atomicbombings for next generations have served as a deterrent to the use of nuclear
weapons and are a driving force towards its abolition. However, the average age ofthe survivors in Japan has now exceeded 85 years, and we, young people, arereferred to as the "last generation that can listen to the voices of the survivors."
We cannot simply dismiss the images of children and civilians being taken for theirlives in wars that are still ongoing. What we need now is to cease warfare
immediately, and to take action.
It is our duty as the next generation, to stand against violence and work towards theabolition of nuclear weapons.
Once nuclear weapons are used, the lives of many innocent people are taken in an
instant, and those who survive suffer from discrimination and lasting effects forgenerations.
To prevent such tragedies from happening again, I hope to work together with all ofyou, towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Thank you very much.