All articles tagged with #hibakusha
A-bomb survivors in Japan, led by Toshiyuki Mimaki, are advocating for nuclear disarmament amid rising tensions and an arms race in Asia, while Japan balances its moral stance against nuclear weapons with reliance on U.S. nuclear protection. The aging survivor community plans a final campaign to push for abolition, highlighting the ongoing global struggle over nuclear deterrence and disarmament.
Japan's atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, hope that the G-7 summit in Hiroshima will lead to a consensus on global challenges and support for nuclear disarmament. The hibakusha have called for Japan to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, but Japan has refused to do so as it is protected by US nuclear weapons. Despite disappointment, the hibakusha welcome the chance the G-7 meeting affords to get their message out and hope that one day the Japanese government will listen to their voices and change their course.
As leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations gather in Hiroshima for a summit, many of Japan's "hibakusha" - atomic bomb victims whose average age is 85 - worry the summit may be a final chance to call for disarmament. They fear Hiroshima's legacy may be reduced to a historical artefact rather than a call for change. The venue has also highlighted a significant shift in global security since 2016, when Barack Obama became the first incumbent U.S. president to visit. For the West, Russia's Ukraine invasion has emphasised the importance of nuclear deterrence.