Latest news with #atomic bombings
Japan Times
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Hibakusha's stories will change the world, Nobel committee chair says
Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Frydnes has emphasized that the testimonies of hibakusha, or people who survived the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will bring changes to the world. "Their story is also a story of memory becoming a force for change," he told a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday. He, therefore, highlighted the historic importance of activities of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, also known as Nihon Hidankyo, which won last year's Nobel Peace Prize. Frydnes visited the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki last week, ahead of the 80th anniversaries of the atomic bombings of the cities on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, in the closing days of World War II. Noting that he was the first member of the committee to visit the country of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Frydnes said, "We walked through places that changed the course of human history." He stressed the importance of maintaining nuclear taboo, saying that the atomic bombings created "an international norm that ... any use of nuclear weapons is not only dangerous, but deeply and morally unacceptable." While Nihon Hidankyo has been working for the abolition of nuclear weapons, Japan is protected under the U.S. nuclear umbrella. On this, Frydnes said, "I don't think fear (of nuclear weapons) is the solutions to our problems," adding, "The hibakusha clearly shows that it is possible, even though in a situation of pain, sorrow, (and) grief, to choose peace, and that's the message we want the world to listen to."
NHK
6 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Japanese peace groups issue statement ahead of 80th anniversary of A-bombings
Three Japanese groups that are calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons have stressed the need for Japan and the rest of the world to convey the inhumanity of nuclear arms ahead of next month's 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, which represents survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and two other groups, the Japan Council against A & H Bombs and Gensuikin, released a joint statement on Wednesday. The statement said that the world today is in a critical situation, which can be described as being on the verge of collapse amid the mounting threat of the use of nuclear weapons and the rising dependence on nuclear deterrence. The groups criticized the stance of the Japanese government, which has yet to sign or ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons although Japan is the only country in the world to suffer atomic bombings. The statement insists that the movement in Japan is playing an even greater role today amid the rising threat of the use of nuclear arms. The statement says that in order to fulfill its responsibility, it is of foremost importance for Japan to pass on the reality of the atomic bombings and convey the inhumanity of nuclear arms with the rest of the world. Terumi Tanaka, co-chairperson of Nihon Hidankyo said, "In light of past situations, the world today is undergoing an extremely difficult time." And he hopes "the statement will help promote to the world the call to abolish nuclear weapons."
