30-04-2025
Youths from Hiroshima, Nagasaki call for nuclear-free world at United Nations
Students from Hiroshima and Nagasaki have called for a world free of nuclear weapons at the United Nations in New York.
The appeal came on Tuesday at a meeting of the Mayors for Peace, attended by the mayors of the two Japanese cities that suffered atomic bombings in 1945.
The session was held on the sidelines of a preparatory committee meeting for next year's review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
High school and university students from Japan spoke about their wishes for peace.
They said they are the last generation that will be able to directly hear the stories of the atomic bomb survivors, who are now aged over 85 on average.
The students also talked about the continued suffering of the survivors, known as hibakusha, from leukemia and other conditions.
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi voiced her hope in the youth activities.
She said the students have the right to demand what they want, in order to make sure the world will be a safer and more secure place.
The Japanese students also had a chance to talk with young people from other countries.
Kawamura Hanon is a third generation hibakusha from Hiroshima. She said she was motivated to change the way peace education is provided in Japan, after learning of the different approaches in other countries.
