Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors Urge Nuclear Abolition at US UN

Japanese atomic-bomb survivors and local leaders called for total nuclear abolition during an NGO session of the NPT Review Conference in New York ^[1].

This appearance marks a significant escalation in the diplomatic efforts of local Japanese leaders to move nuclear disarmament from a theoretical goal to a core United Nations objective. By bringing the lived experience of survivors directly to the official program, the delegation aims to remind global powers of the humanitarian devastation caused by nuclear weapons [1, 2].

Governor Mika Yokota of Hiroshima delivered a speech during the session, marking the first time a governor from Hiroshima has spoken within the conference's official program [1, 3]. Yokota said she urges the UN to include the abolition of nuclear weapons as its next goal ^[3].

Other local leaders joined the appeal, including Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki and Nagasaki Deputy Governor Yuko Baba ^[1]. Suzuki said he wants Nagasaki to be the last place in the world to suffer an atomic bombing ^[1].

Jiro Hamazumi, the secretary-general of the Japan Hibaku Victims Association, also addressed the assembly ^[1]. Hamazumi said, "No more Hiroshima, no more Nagasaki, no more war, no more Hibakusha" ^[1].

The diplomatic push in New York followed a series of domestic mobilizations in Japan. Approximately 300 atomic-bomb survivors attended a rally in Tokyo before the conference began ^[4].

The delegation's presence at the UN headquarters underscores a persistent effort by survivors to ensure that the memories of the 1945 bombings inform current international security treaties. The participants emphasized that the humanitarian impact of such weapons must remain the central focus of the NPT Review Conference [1, 2].