Latest news with #JapanConfederationofA-andH-BombSufferersOrganizations
The Mainichi
3 days ago
- Health
- The Mainichi
Chief organizer of Nobel Prize A-bomb survivors group steps down
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Sueichi Kido, 85, officially stepped down as secretary general of Japan's Nobel Peace Prize-winning atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo at its annual meeting on Thursday due to ill health. Kido was 5 years old when he was exposed to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in the final days of World War II. In 2017, he assumed the post that effectively leads the group's efforts to abolish nuclear arms and was among the delegation that accepted the Nobel Prize in Oslo in December. He said in May that he intended to vacate the secretary general position, citing health reasons. He will continue to serve as an adviser to the organization, also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. Jiro Hamasumi was selected as new secretary general at Thursday's meeting in Tokyo. A 79-year-old in-utero atomic bomb survivor, his mother, who was pregnant with him, was exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Hamasumi was the group's deputy secretary general from 2015 and had been acting on Kido's behalf since October. In March, he spoke at the third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
The Mainichi
13-05-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
Replica of Nobel Prize medal on display at museum in Hiroshima
HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) --Replicas of the Nobel Peace Prize medal and certificate awarded last year to Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors went on display at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum on Tuesday. Toshiyuki Mimaki, a representative of Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, visited the museum, viewing the display while recalling the moment the group was honored with the award. The showing runs until Aug. 31. "I would like people to feel that the world must be peaceful," the 83-year-old survivor told reporters, adding the replicas were prepared by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the group. Three sets of the copies are now kept in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Tokyo. Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the final days of World War II in August 1945, killing an estimated 214,000 people by the end of that year and leaving numerous survivors to grapple with long-term physical and mental health challenges. Nihon Hidankyo received the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for conveying, through witness testimony, that they must never be used again.
Asahi Shimbun
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Nagasaki seeks to warn of ‘nuclear taboo' in annual message
The drafting committee for this year's Nagasaki Peace Declaration meets in the city on May 10. (Yuta Kayaba) NAGASAKI—As the city prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing in three months, a committee planning the annual peace message wants to incorporate the term "nuclear taboo." 'It is essential to send a strong message to all nations, including those currently involved in conflicts,' said Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, who chairs the drafting committee for this year's Nagasaki Peace Declaration. The committee held its first meeting on May 10. It has 15 members, including survivors of the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack on the city, as well as scholars and other experts. During the meeting, members discussed including references to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded last year to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), particularly highlighting the Nobel Committee's emphasis on the moral 'taboo' against nuclear weapons. In addition to condemning the use of nuclear weapons, several committee members advocated for a taboo against possessing any at all. There was also a proposal to include remarks made by the late Pope Francis during his visit to Nagasaki in 2019, honoring his message of peace and disarmament. The committee also expressed growing concern over the recent tensions between India and Pakistan—both nuclear powers—with one member warning of the potential for uncontrollable escalation. The panel will meet twice more in the coming months before finalizing the statement. Suzuki announced at a news conference on May 8 that Nagasaki plans to invite officials from Russia and Israel to the upcoming peace ceremony. Russia has not been invited since 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, while Israel was excluded from the 2024 guest list amid the conflict in Gaza.
Japan Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Rallies held on Japan's Constitution Day
Citizens supporting and opposing a revision of Japan's Constitution held their respective events in Tokyo on Constitution Day on Saturday. Those against amending the national charter gathered in a park in Koto Ward, with about 38,000 people attending the rally, according to the organizers. Senior officials from opposition parties called for not allowing the parliament to propose constitutional amendments, while underscoring the need to protect peace and human rights by utilizing the current Constitution. "We haven't created nuclear war for 80 years (since the end of World War II), and we want you to carry on these efforts," said Terumi Tanaka, 93, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, also known as Nihon Hidankyo, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year. Shoji Honda, 81, who takes part in the annual rally every year, said, "It's important to build peace under (war-renouncing) Article 9 (of the Constitution)," stressing that the supreme law must not be amended. After the rally, participants marched around the park, holding banners and placards. Opposition party lawmakers attend a rally of people who are against Constitutional amendments on Saturday in Tokyo. | JIJI On the same day, advocates of a constitutional amendment held an open forum in Chiyoda Ward. The event brought together about 21,000 people, including online participants and attendees at 19 locations where it was broadcast, according to the organizers. Amid the challenging international security atmosphere, which includes concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, participants adopted a declaration urging the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and others to advance work to revise the Constitution, including Article 9. In a video message sent to the rally, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, also president of the LDP, said that the party will redouble efforts so that the Diet can make a constitutional revision proposal. A 55-year-old corporate worker from Kanagawa Prefecture who joined the event said that he is concerned whether the current Constitution, which has not been revised since it took effect shortly after the end of World War II, is sufficient to protect the citizens of the country. He said he believes that it should be revised in line with the changing times.
03-05-2025
- Politics
Rallies Held on Japan's Constitution Day
Tokyo, May 3 (Jiji Press)--Citizens supporting and opposing a revision of Japan's Constitution held their respective events in Tokyo on Constitution Day in the country on Saturday. Those against amending the national charter gathered in a park in Koto Ward, with about 38,000 people attending the rally, according to the organizers. Senior officials from opposition parties called for not allowing the Diet, the country's parliament, to propose constitutional amendments, while underscoring the need to protect peace, lives, livelihoods and human rights by utilizing the current Constitution. "We haven't caused nuclear war for 80 years (since the end of World War II), and we want you to carry on our efforts," said Terumi Tanaka, 93, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year. Shoji Honda, 81, who takes part in the annual rally every year, said, "It's important to build peace under (war-renouncing) Article 9 (of the Constitution)," stressing that the supreme law must not be amended. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
