About Hidankyo
From Monthly Paper "Hidankyo"- May
HIDANKYO April Action for the Government
On April 8 and 9, HIDANKYO conducted Action for calling on the Government, political parties and members of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
In total, 350 Hibakusha attended the Action on behalf of 34 local HIDANKYO.
At the beginning of the Action, delegates requested to Yosano, Vice-Chief Cabinet Secretary, with 16,000 signatures of the petition for the Government, including Mayors and Chairpersons of local governments. The delegates demanded to conclude Treaty on Abolition of Nuclear Weapons and the State compensation for Hibakusha. Yosano showed his understanding about the demands and encouraged the delegates.
Then, the delegates went to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and Welfare and 9 political parties in order to call on the persons in charge of Hibakusha issues. The delegates also visited all members of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, asking their support for the demands.
Spring Action at Nevada Nuclear Test Site
From March 27 to April 4, Takamitsu Nakayama, Secretary-General of HIDANKYO of Kumamoto Prefecture joined Spring Action 1997 for Healing Global Wounds, carried out around Nevada Nuclear Test Site, USA.
That Action was planed by nuclear testing victims and organizations for peace, anti-nuclear, human rights and environment. On the first day, Nakayama, as a Hibakusha, addressed participants for forty minutes.
In front of the gate of Test Site, the participants made a protest and demonstration against subcritical nuclear test and for asking land restoration of the Test Site to indigenous people. He took an interview from local TV station, which was put on the air.
In the meantime, Anthony Guarisco, Director of Alliance of Atomic Veterans guided to the Monument for Atomic Veterans that was built on the hill, looking down the Test Site.
There, Nakayama prayed for peace dedicating folded cranes and they pledged in solidarity to eliminate nuclear weapons.