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Bikini DayTowards 2020 -- the 75th Year of A-bombing,
Let’s build up movements enough to create crustal change
Tsuchida Yayoi, Assistant General Secretary, Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Gensuikyo)

Provisional Translation
International Forum, 2019 March 1 Bikini Day Gensuikyo National Conference
Shizuoka, February 27, 2019

We are living in the midst of turbulent times. On the global issues such as nuclear threats, global warming and neoliberalism, many countries and peoples of the world are fighting against the outrages of big powers. In each country, too, people are standing for nuclear free, peace, human rights, democracy and defense of livelihood and welfare.

Humanity has been living under the threat of annihilation. The mere existence of about 15,000 nuclear warheads has a risk of endangering the survival of whole humanity. And the current intensifying disputes, confrontation and tension have increased the danger of nuclear weapons being used.

Facing up to this danger, an overwhelming majority of governments and people rose up and steered to the direction of a nuclear weapon-free peaceful world. First example is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) adopted in 2017 that prohibited all activities relating to nuclear weapons for the first time in history and marked the start of ending them. It is a ray of hope to save humanity from nuclear catastrophe.

Second, the confrontation and military responses to nuclear weapons issue of North Korea has drastically changed to the direction of peaceful settlement, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a system of peace.

In order to achieve a world without nuclear weapons as well as a nuclear-free, peaceful Japan and East Asia, there is no other way than pressing ahead with this direction.

The nuclear weapon states and nuclear umbrella states, however, have turned their back on the TPNW, saying that they will not support, sign or ratify it. In fact, nuclear super power of the US has put forward the development of more usable nuclear weapons; it has trampled on the past achievement of nuclear disarmament by withdrawing from the JCPOA and the INF Treaty. These outrages have accelerated nuclear arms race between USA-UK-France and China-Russia, increasing the danger of the use of nuclear weapons.

Japan’s Prime Minister Abe did not hesitate to say even before the Hibakusha that he would not support, sign or ratify the Treaty. In spite of having made “the only A-bombed country in wartime” the sales point in the past, the UN resolution of the Japanese government has totally neglected the TPNW since 2017; it falsified and made the “unequivocal undertaking” by the nuclear weapon states to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals less important. This shameful act was exposed to severe criticism internationally.

In the draft resolution of 2018, the Japanese government tried to gloss it over, adding a few words such as “Article 6 of NPT”, but the US refused even a little reference to the obligation of nuclear disarmament and abstained. “Working as a bridge” between nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states is Japan’s sales point, but this time Japan was abandoned by both sides.

To my surprise, this act was done under the pressure of the US. In accordance with the promise with the USA that Japan needs, and will continue to need the US extended deterrence, including its nuclear deterrence, Abe government has been rushing to make Japan a war-fighting country through the reinforcement of Japan-US military alliance, the reinterpretation of the Constitution on the right of collective self-defense, the legislation of war laws and state secrecy law, the new base construction in Okinawa and the revision of the Constitution. Throwing away the exclusive defense policy, it has been promoting unconstitutional military buildup, as represented by a record-high defense spending, transformation of Izumo escort ship to an aircraft carrier and the bulk buying of F35 stealth fighters. The people are left to bear the burden through consumption tax rate hike and cutoff of welfare.

However, what will be the end of such politics? At the time of the crisis of the Korean Peninsula, Abe government urged the US to only put pressure on and take military response to North Korea; but President Trump suddenly moved in the opposite way; Japan was cut out of the loop. Nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize is a shame. It can’t be helped that Japan is called a US sycophant. Japan is miserably unable to conduct its own diplomacy or politics as an independent Asian country. Abandoning the position of the only A-bombed country and Article 9 of the Constitution only endangers the lives of the Japanese people.

With the perspective that we will reach a crucial stage over the entry into force of the TPNW and the next NPT Review Conference from 2019 towards 2020, the 75th year of the atomic bombing, we call for building up magnificent movements in and out of Japan enough to open up a world without nuclear weapons.

We must develop our movement powerful enough to make the Japanese government join the TPNW and shift its politics to the direction of nuclear free and peace. Even just signing of the Treaty by the government will bring changes to its policies which prioritize military, war and nuclear deterrence as well as the new base construction in Okinawa. The changes in Japan also have big influence on the world tide towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Internationally, we are determined to play the role of Japan’s anti-A and H-bomb movement, issuing a call for international joint actions to promote entry into force of the TPNW and urge the governments of nuclear weapon and umbrella states to join the Treaty and implement their agreements of the NPT to abolish nuclear weapons.

We have power to create such changes.

Around us, there are Hibakusha who have been fighting for the noble cause of abolition of nuclear weapons from their horrible experience of the A-bombing. Cooperation in the Hibakusha Appeal International Signature Campaign has increased unprecedentedly, with 47 various organizations working together. At present, the number of collected signatures exceeded 8.3 million; the mayors and governors who have signed the Appeal reached 1207; and 359 local governments have adopted resolutions calling on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the TPNW. In order to make a leap forward in the campaign, we are gearing up for forming the signature campaign promotion committees at local levels, making all local governments involved in the campaign and promoting support and cooperation from political parties, parliamentarians, communities, various groups and businesses.

This power of grass-roots cooperation, coupled with 30 million signature campaign for the defense of the Constitution, forced Prime Minister Abe to give up presenting a bill for constitutional revision last year, and brought victory to Okinawa’s gubernatorial election and the prefectural people’s referendum, which expressed NO to Henoko base repeatedly. Governor Tamaki Denny signed the Hibakusha Appeal last year. Solidarity is spreading in a cross-sectoral manner.

We are also encouraged to see changes happening in nuclear weapon states and umbrella states; for example, the State Assembly of California, US, adopted a resolution calling on the Trump administration to join the TPNW; Australian Labor Party is committed to join the treaty when in government; Spanish government agreed to sign it, etc.

Now is the time for us to build up such a magnificent nationwide movement as we witnessed after the Bikini incident of 1954. Towards 2020=75th year of the atomic bombing, let’s renew our determination and work hard to achieve Hibakusha’s desire to get nuclear weapons abolished in their lifetime.