日本被団協

For the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons

Hidankyo sent a note against the plan for subcritical nuclear tests to the US President on September 17. The text is as follows.

President William Jefferson Clinton
The United States of America

September 17 1998

Dear Mr. President

According to the press, you are going to conduct the fourth subcritical nuclear test against Hibakusha's (Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb sufferers) earnest desire and world opinion in favor of abolition of nuclear arms. It is said that your plan is to conduct four tests each year from this month to the year of 2005.

You have already possessed enough nuclear weapons to kill all lives on the earth a number of times. Why do you need more nuclear weapons than you have? What weapons do you intend to develop and produce?

We, Hibakusha, can never pass for promoting the plan to develop weapons of mass destruction. While you condemned and took sanctions against both India and Pakistan due to their underground nuclear tests in May, you have released the subcritical nuclear test program.

World opinion has directed to the abolition of nuclear weapons toward the 21st century. Your plan should be denounced as a violation of international law that seeks the loophole of the CTBT and as total disregard of the public opinion. We can never accept your nuclear tests that create the situation of developing nuclear arms race, devastating global environment and annihilating human lives.

We demand in the name of humans that you:

Cancel all the subcritical nuclear tests without delay.
Declare to take initiative for abandoning nuclear weapons.
Start taking actions for abolition of nuclear weapons.
Conclude an international treaty of abolition of nuclear weapons on a time-bound program.

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