About Hidankyo
Monthly paper "HIDANKYO" October 2003
The International Citizens' Conference “No More Hiroshima, No More Nagasaki” in 2005 Mayors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki join to call for the conference
The first committee meeting for the International Citizens' Conference “No More Hiroshima, No More Nagasaki” took place in Tokyo, Japan on September 21, 2003.
The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferes Organizations (also known as Hidankyo) aims to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings in the year 2005, by calling for committee participations from intellectuals in various fields to work with the existing activist participants.
The participants include mayors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities, writer Hisashi Inoue, ex-president at Nigasaki University Hideo Tsuchiyama, philosopher Takuya Takahashi and constitution analyst Asaho Mizushima. The representatives from Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), the Japan Council Against A & H Bombs (Gensuikyo), Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union (Nihon Seikyo Ren) and Japan Youth Association (Nisseikyo) were also present at the first committee meeting. At the meeting, the importance of a large number of participants, particularly the youth was recognized as an issue to promote the 60th anniversary.
Expectation in the campaign of recording and passing down stories of Hibakusha
The purposes of the International Citizens' Conference are 1) to clarify the damages taken place in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 2) to reveal the true threat of nuclear weapons, and 3) to carry on spreading the words and experiences of the survivors. To achieve these goals, it is essential to focus on findings from surveys, researches and activists demonstrations.
The committee emphasized the importance of the young generation to hear and take over the words of Hibakusha. Therefore, the expectation piles up to several regional spoken sessions organized by Hidankyo. With co-operation of researchers and specialists, the committee attempts to put the effective oral methods into a concrete shape.
Decisions appealed to the media
At the media conference after the first committee meeting, Tohei, co-chairpersopn of Hidankyo first addressed the concern that “Hibakusha are aging. Through the Conference, the truth of the bombing damages should be spread worldwide to facilitate the disarmament of nuclear weapons.”
At the media conference, Hidankyo also spoke about the “Study of survivors who were exposed in remote locations or entered the hypocenter soon after the bombings” and the “Spoken” activities.
Burning Fall Season of the A-bomb Survivors
Protest against US’s subcritical nuclear experiment
The US Bush government has proceeded its seventh subcritical nuclear experiment on September 19, 2003 (local time), and Hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) from Japan have demonstrated their earnest wish to discontinue such activities.
On the very same day, 30 HIbakusha from Hidankyo in Tokyo, Saitama, Ishikawa and Nagasaki gathered in front of the US embassy in Tokyo, Akasaka Minato-ku. The Hindankyo co-chairperson Tohei and the Executive Board member Mariko Iida handed in a written protest, and each bomb survivor protester spoke of her/his protest on a microphone.
Tamiko Nishimoto from Ishikawa Prefecture said “Bomb survivor housewife suffers from difficulties to cook for herself or for her family and she cries ‘I would rather be dead’. The memories of dealing with dead bodies for days never stop haunting her. Women and children should never be the bomb victims again. We need an apology not an experiment.” Another protester Minoru Nishino from Tokyo stated “We are not here just for ourselves. We are also here for the women, children, youth who died on that day. How could you do the experiment without listening to their voices?”
The regional protest activities are as follows: Mie Prefecture A-Bomb Survivors’ Association (written protest); Fukuoka Hidanko (written protest); Nagasaki Hisaikyo (written protest); Kyoto A-Bomb Survivors’ Association (protest telegram); Aichi Prefecture A-Bomb Survivors’ Association (flyers, petition, demonstration); Kumamoto Hidankyo (written protest, sitting-in, flyers); Yamanashi Prefecture A- & H-Bomb Survivors’ Association (written protest); Nara Prefecture A-Bomb Survivors’ Association (written protest); Akita Hidankyo (protest telegram).
Demonstrations in Tokyo
Tokyo Federation of A-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Toyukai) had street demonstrations at 2 locations.
At Ueno Park, 30 demonstrators displayed banners with a slogan, “US, North Korea, Don’t Make or Use Atomic Weapons”, and called for a petition by claiming that “We, with blue sashes, are A-bomb survivors. Let’s build peace by eliminating atomic weapons.” Many pedestrians, including couples with babies and youth, responded to the petition.
At the North Exit of Tachikawa Station, 20 demonstrators gathered despite the over-crowding at the Chuo Line. They distributed 1,000 flyers at two locations, collected signatures from 285 people for an atomic disarmament petition as well as signatures from 214 people in support of their legal fight, and also obtained donation of 13,700 yen in total.