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Kyodo News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Split Japan antinuke groups, Hidankyo unite for 80th A-bomb anniv.
TOKYO - Two Japanese antinuclear groups that split during the Cold War issued a rare joint statement Wednesday to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, appealing for the people of Japan to carry the cities' message to the world. The statement by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, and the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, known as Gensuikyo, was also cosigned by Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. "I truly hope that this (collaboration) will become a turning point where Japan's movement can grow into a much larger one and expand to the world," Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said at a joint press conference held by the three groups in Tokyo. With the risk of nuclear weapons use rising globally, the three groups stressed that survivor testimonies remain one of the most powerful deterrents against the use of such weapons in war. Building on Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize recognition, the statement also urged the Japanese government to "break free" from the U.S. nuclear umbrella, and swiftly sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. "Despite atomic bomb survivors capturing the world's attention, the risk of nuclear weapon use continues to rise, making the role of Japan's antinuclear movement more critical than ever," the statement said, while criticizing the Japanese government's refusal to join the treaty as "eroding international trust." Japan's antinuclear movement began in 1954 following the Bikini Atoll incident, when a Japanese fishing boat was exposed to radiation from a U.S. nuclear weapon test. The first World Conference against A & H Bombs was held in Hiroshima in 1955. The movement later split in the 1960s over political differences, with Gensuikyo aligning with the Japanese Communist Party, which tolerated Soviet nuclear testing, and Gensuikin with the former Socialist Party and and trade unions, which opposed all nuclear testing regardless of country. While the world conference was held jointly from 1977 to 1985, Gensuikyo and Gensuikin have in recent years hosted separate events each summer in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Mainichi
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Split Japan antinuke groups, Hidankyo unite for 80th A-bomb anniv.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Two Japanese antinuclear groups that split during the Cold War issued a rare joint statement Wednesday to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, appealing for the people of Japan to carry the cities' message to the world. The statement by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, and the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, known as Gensuikyo, was also cosigned by Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. "I truly hope that this (collaboration) will become a turning point where Japan's movement can grow into a much larger one and expand to the world," Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said at a joint press conference held by the three groups in Tokyo. With the risk of nuclear weapons use rising globally, the three groups stressed that survivor testimonies remain one of the most powerful deterrents against the use of such weapons in war. Building on Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize recognition, the statement also urged the Japanese government to "break free" from the U.S. nuclear umbrella, and swiftly sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. "Despite atomic bomb survivors capturing the world's attention, the risk of nuclear weapon use continues to rise, making the role of Japan's antinuclear movement more critical than ever," the statement said, while criticizing the Japanese government's refusal to join the treaty as "eroding international trust." Japan's antinuclear movement began in 1954 following the Bikini Atoll incident, when a Japanese fishing boat was exposed to radiation from a U.S. nuclear weapon test. The first World Conference against A & H Bombs was held in Hiroshima in 1955. The movement later split in the 1960s over political differences, with Gensuikyo aligning with the Japanese Communist Party, which tolerated Soviet nuclear testing, and Gensuikin with the former Socialist Party and and trade unions, which opposed all nuclear testing regardless of country. While the world conference was held jointly from 1977 to 1985, Gensuikyo and Gensuikin have in recent years hosted separate events each summer in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
JCP vows fairer taxes, stronger social safety net and a commitment to peaceful diplomacy
Sunday's Upper House vote will be an election of historic significance for the future of Japan. The Japanese Communist Party will do everything in its power to help voters drive the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito into a minority in the House of Councilors and bring an end to LDP rule. Like millions of voters, we call out the LDP-Komeito conservative coalition and call for equally harsh judgment of their complementary forces — Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People. As the oldest political party in Japan, we will resolutely fight against xenophobia and extreme right-wing trends. The LDP's politics are now in a terminal and critical state with the party unable to respond to domestic and international issues or the wishes of the people. Many people are suffering from rising prices, yet the LDP is completely ill-equipped. Its members offer only short-term repairs — not long-term solutions — to the surge in rice prices and rice shortages. Pensions, medical care, nursing care and social security — all are in a growing state of crisis and the ruling coalition is heading down a path that will only make things worse. Real wages have been negative for three consecutive years, yet no one is taking political responsibility to raise wages and provide relief for Japan's workers. At the root of all this is the distortion of politics that prioritizes the interests of the business world and large corporations. On the foreign-policy front, Japan's challenges are just as great. How should we deal with President Donald Trump's America? Should we continue down the path of military expansion as Washington tells us to? How should we respond to the Trump administration's unjust tariffs? Or being forced to construct a new U.S. military base in Okinawa and turn our backs on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons? Can we continue to be at the mercy of America? The JCP believes that if we want to realize the earnest wishes of the people, we need to reform the LDP's 'business-centered' politics and stop putting ourselves at the mercy of the person in the White House. The expansion of the JCP, which cuts into these two distortions, is a sure way to improve Japanese politics and our nation's standing in the world. Please help our party make a breakthrough in this historic election by voting for the JCP candidate in your area. Our basic policies have remained consistent throughout the years and always put the interests of the average Japanese worker first. As a party that has consistently advocated for the abolition of the consumption tax, the JCP will do its utmost to urgently reduce the consumption tax to 5% with the aim of abolishing it. The big problem is how to secure the funds for this. We propose ending the tax-cut handouts to large corporations, which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he regrets and has admitted are 'ineffective.' We will fund the abolishment of the consumption tax by correcting the tax cuts and preferential treatment for large corporations and the wealthy, including reviewing the preferential tax system for the wealthy commonly referred to as the '¥100-million wall' because tax burdens relative to income drop for earners of more than ¥100 million. In addition, we will promptly raise the minimum wage to ¥1,500 per hour, aiming for ¥1,700. To achieve this, we will impose a temporary tax on a portion of the internal reserves of large companies, which have accumulated to over ¥500 trillion, and use the resulting financial resources to support wage increases for small and medium-sized enterprises. In conjunction with wage increases, we will reduce working hours and increase 'free time,' while improving the treatment of nonregular workers and eliminating unjust termination of employment. On the agricultural front, we will change the erroneous policy of forcing rice farmers to reduce their acreage and production, and promote increased rice production, ensuring a comfortable supply and demand, as well as price guarantees and income compensation for farmers. The politics of pitting the elderly against the working generation and cutting social security have increased the hardships of all generations, dampened consumption, stirred up anxiety about the future and contributed greatly to economic stagnation. We will change this and work to improve social security. In terms of political reform, we will ban corporate and organizational donations and eliminate money-based corruption. For younger people, we will aim to make tuition free up to university. We will increase public education spending to the OECD minimum level and improve poor educational conditions. We will also correct excessive competition and management in education, while creating a rent-reduction and rent-subsidy system and promoting the construction and supply of public housing. On the foreign-policy front, we will reject the Trump administration's demand for a massive military expansion, stop the creation of a warring nation based on the Japan-U.S. alliance and devote our efforts to diplomacy to build peace in East Asia. To address the climate crisis, we will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%-80% by 2035, phase out nuclear and coal-fired power plants and promote a shift to renewable energy and energy conservation. Last but not least, we will promote gender equality, including optional separate surnames for married couples, the early realization of same-sex marriage and the correction of the wage gap between men and women. We will also continue to work to eradicate discrimination and hate speech against foreign nationals, protect the rights of foreign workers and promote the revision of immigration laws in accordance with international human-rights law. Tomoko Tamura is the chairwoman of the Japanese Communist Party. In the lead-up to the July 20 Upper House election, The Japan Times reached out to the nation's major political parties requesting an op-ed for our Opinion pages on why this election is so crucial and why their party deserves the citizens' vote. We are publishing all those who responded.
Daily Record
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Calls for SNP to drop nuclear opposition but party says Starmer is 'pandering' to Trump on defence
The Scottish Secretary said Scotland should reap the 'defence dividend' but the SNP's Westminster defence spokesperson said his party's stance on nuclear was in line with the Scottish population. In a week that began with the US launching strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the world's most powerful nations have now turned their attention to their own defence. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK would buy 12 new F-35A fighter jets capable of transporting nuclear bombs while at the NATO summit in the Netherlands Donald Trump praised members for agreeing to spend five per cent of their GDP on defence. A newly-published National Security Strategy stated the UK has to 'actively prepare for the possibility of the UK coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario'. Politicians from across the spectrum have been debating what this preparation looks like and whether it should include nuclear weapons. Here the Sunday Mail speaks to Labour's Scottish Secretary Ian Murray and the SNP's defence spokesman Dave Doogan about their very different views on how to protect the nation from foreign threats. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray has called for the SNP to rethink its stance against nuclear weapons. The Labour MP for Edinburgh South changed his stance on nukes in recent months, having been a 'lifelong' opponent of the weapons previously. In February he was praised by disarmament campaigners for his support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, but a month later he said he was 'proud' that Scotland hosted Trident. Last week he re-stated his support of the deadly weapons and said 'It's really important when circumstances change for that to happen.' He made the comments the day before Starmer announced he was buying 12 new US-made fighter jets, which are capable of carrying conventional weapons as well as American nuclear bombs. Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mail Murray said the First Minister and his party should review their opposition to nukes. He said: 'Any responsible government has to make sure they put their national security and the safety of their own people first. 'Scots only have to turn on their TVs and pick up their newspapers to read about the fact that there is a changing global instability. 'I do think the Scottish Government should readdress it. 'Defence is really important and the two key things that come from that defence posture are jobs and growth in Scotland.' Murray said the country played a 'disproportionate role' in Britain's defence and he wanted to exploit the 'dividend' that comes from that. He said: 'My views on nuclear weapons changed some time ago but they have been underlined and emphasised by the fact that the issue of nuclear weapons and deterrence have become a huge global stability issue. 'For the Scottish government to tell Rolls Royce, one of the most respected British institutions, that they will not contribute to them investing in a highly skilled welding academy in Glasgow tells the public that they don't care about jobs, growth and opportunities for the future. 'That is a huge part of the defence dividend we should be trying to capture. Places like Babcock and BAE systems are hiring foreign welders from the Philippines and South Africa to do the work local people should be doing. 'So yes their stance should change, not just on defensive nuclear but on civilian nuclear as well.' The SNP's Westminster defence spokesman accused Keir Starmer of pandering to Donald Trump to 'make him relevant' after agreeing to buy a dozen new fighter jets capable of transporting US nuclear weapons. Dave Doogan, MP for Angus and Perthshire Glens, said his party's stance on nuclear was in line with the Scottish population and said the UK Government was not being honest about the country's own nuclear capability. He said: ' The SNP's position on nuclear remains resolute insofar as we're against it. We believe we're firmly in step with the vast majority of civil society in Scotland on that point. 'Ian Murray, consistent with many other issues, is not in step with the majority of civil society in Scotland. 'I've spoken to armed forces professionals who deal with the nuclear deterrent and nobody talks about it in the triumphant way in which Westminster politicians of the two main parties do. 'They know keenly that nuclear weapons are an evil. They would see it as a necessary evil, I take a different view.' Doogan said the public were 'being taken for mugs' by Starmer following the announcement about the dozen F-35A jets and said the US would really be in control if it came to delivering nuclear attacks. He said: 'The announcement is an absolute disgrace. The Americans have instructed the United Kingdom to not buy 12 F-35B variants, which is the vertical takeoff model that the UK wanted, and swap them for 12 'A' variants that can't be operated off the UK's aircraft carriers. 'They have to operate off land so they can carry America's nuclear weapons for America, store them in the United kingdom and launch them in a way that America determines, without a debate or a manifesto commitment on any of this. 'People are being taken for mugs.' Doogan said the purchase will see the UK 'become an arms-length nuclear franchise for the United States' and said: 'No other nuclear power delivers another nuclear power's nuclear weapons. 'There are five nuclear sharing nations in Europe who have agreed that in time of war they will assist with United States nuclear weapons. None of those countries have massive nuclear weapons bills like the UK. 'Only the UK is lining up to deliver America's nuclear weapons for America while being a nuclear power. 'It is yet another example of the current Labour government falling at the feet of the Trump administration, begging for him to make them relevant.' He said the money spent on nuclear weapons in the UK was 'one of the reasons why the conventional armed forces are in the state that they are in.' He said: 'The SNP believe not that we should be disinvesting from nuclear weapons so that we can disinvest in defence - far from it. 'We could have a far more robust defence posture of conventional armed forces, that Scotland deserves, without the hundreds of millions that's getting spent on dreadnought-class submarines and weapons. 'We believe nuclear weapons are morally wrong and that the UK's possession is surplus to requirements that exist in a genuinely independent way within NATO. 'They certainly shouldn't be in Scotland's waters without a by your leave.'
The Mainichi
19-06-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
Chief organizer of Nobel Prize A-bomb survivors group steps down
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Sueichi Kido, 85, officially stepped down as secretary general of Japan's Nobel Peace Prize-winning atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo at its annual meeting on Thursday due to ill health. Kido was 5 years old when he was exposed to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in the final days of World War II. In 2017, he assumed the post that effectively leads the group's efforts to abolish nuclear arms and was among the delegation that accepted the Nobel Prize in Oslo in December. He said in May that he intended to vacate the secretary general position, citing health reasons. He will continue to serve as an adviser to the organization, also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. Jiro Hamasumi was selected as new secretary general at Thursday's meeting in Tokyo. A 79-year-old in-utero atomic bomb survivor, his mother, who was pregnant with him, was exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Hamasumi was the group's deputy secretary general from 2015 and had been acting on Kido's behalf since October. In March, he spoke at the third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
