Hidankyo leader regrets Japan's dodging of upcoming nuclear ban meet
A prominent Japanese hibakusha atomic bomb survivor expressed regret Sunday over the Japanese government's decision not to attend as an observer the upcoming third meeting of signatories to a nuclear ban treaty.
"The only thing I can say is 'it's regrettable,'" Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, said in a speech at a meeting held in the city of Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo.
"Were we still not capable of (making the government change its mind)?" he said.
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Facility located in heart of Roppongi's entertainment district Seike was born and raised in Minato Ward and after working as a newspaper reporter, served as a ward councilor for 13 years before being elected as mayor in June last year. As for why she is asking for the removal of the facility, she said, "The center, equipped with a heliport, is located in the heart of Roppongi's entertainment district, where high-rise buildings like Roppongi Hills stand and where people from all over Japan and the world gather. The rising height of buildings in the surrounding area is making the situation increasingly dangerous." Seike also cited the opening of the new Haneda flight routes in 2020, in which planes landing at Haneda Airport fly low over the city center, and the fact that U.S. military helicopters using the center now pass under these routes. Concerns about structural dangers In January this year, a U.S. military helicopter collided with a passenger plane in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. Seike noted with concern that the accident occurred at the crossing point of the two aircraft. The helicopter involved was a Black Hawk, the same type that flies to the Akasaka Press Center. "The conditions are similar to those in the airspace over Roppongi, and the risk of a collision was made real to the nearby residents of the center. Although the government has explained safety measures, there is a structural danger with U.S. military helicopters crossing paths with passenger planes. The damage from an accident would be enormous," she said. Flying low over children's heads The mayor also feels concerned that U.S. military helicopters using the center fly low over children playing in the adjacent Tokyo Metropolitan Aoyama Park. Seike herself has witnessed U.S. military helicopters flying close by with her child and remarked, "While it's become a normal sight locally, it feels strange when viewed objectively. From a safety perspective, it would be preferable to remove the center and integrate the site into a metropolitan park." A responsibility to ensure safety In March this year, it was announced that a U.S. Forces Japan satellite office had been set up at the Akasaka Press Center. The new department, which will coordinate with the Japanese Ministry of Defense's Joint Operations Command, is expected to become fully operational in the future. According to the ward, residents have expressed concerns that helicopter traffic between Yokota Air Base, where the command is located, and the Akasaka Press Center may increase, heightening noise and accident risks. 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The background to the Japanese government's tacit acceptance of this is formed by the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which grants various privileges to U.S. military aircraft including exemptions from altitude standards under Japan's Civil Aeronautics Act. Seike cites the fact that Japan's Civil Aeronautics Act is not applied to U.S. military aircraft as an additional reason for requesting the center's removal.
