The first committee meeting for the International Citizens' Conference gNo More Hiroshima, No More Nagasakih 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 Consumersf 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 gHibakusha
are aging. Through the Conference, the truth of the bombing
damages should be spread worldwide to facilitate the disarmament of
nuclear weapons.h
At the media conference, Hidankyo also spoke about the gStudy of
survivors who were exposed in remote locations or entered the hypocenter
soon after the bombingsh and the gSpokenh activities.
Protest against USfs 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 gBomb survivor housewife
suffers from difficulties to cook for herself or for her family and she
cries eI would rather be deadf. 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.h Another protester Minoru Nishino from Tokyo stated
gWe 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?h
The regional protest activities are as follows: Mie Prefecture A-Bomb
Survivorsf Association (written protest); Fukuoka Hidanko (written
protest); Nagasaki Hisaikyo (written protest); Kyoto A-Bomb Survivorsf
Association (protest telegram); Aichi Prefecture A-Bomb Survivorsf
Association (flyers, petition, demonstration); Kumamoto Hidankyo
(written protest, sitting-in, flyers); Yamanashi Prefecture A- &
H-Bomb Survivorsf Association (written protest); Nara Prefecture A-Bomb
Survivorsf 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, gUS,
North Korea, Donft Make or Use Atomic Weaponsh, and called for a
petition by claiming that gWe, with blue sashes, are A-bomb
survivors. Letfs build peace by eliminating atomic weapons.h
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.