Nagasaki Protests Japan’s Policy

Nagasaki was further critical than Hiroshima on defiance of Japanese government against international effort to eliminate nuclear weapons on this planet. Mayor of Nagasaki, Tomihisa Tagami, firmly criticized Shinzo Abe administration of turning its back to the treaty for prohibiting nuclear weapons in his speech at the memorial ceremony of 72^nd anniversary of atomic bombing on Nagasaki, which caused 175,743 of deaths. Tagami even said the treaty would not be the goal.

After one-minute silent prayer, Tagami read out the Nagasaki Declaration of Peace. “Sincere hopes of hibakusha moved a lot of countries in the world and produced a treaty this summer. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was applied with approval of 122 countries, exceeding 60% of all members in United Nations,” said Tagami at the beginning of the declaration. He called the treaty, which referred to pains and efforts of hibakusha, Hiroshima Nagasaki Treaty.

He insisted on currently insufficient situation to the elimination of nuclear weapons, referring to firm concern on actual use of nuclear weapons in the future not far from now. “We can still not see the way to the world without nuclear weapons as nuclear countries oppose the treaty. Human beings are asked how they make the treaty effective and take steps forward,” said Tagami.

Tagami then required the countries possessing nuclear weapons and others under their nuclear umbrella to review the policy to protect their countries with nuclear weapons. “I hope them to implement the obligation vested on the members of Non-proliferation Treaty,” told him.

He also appealed to the government of Japan. “Suffering region of atomic bombs can hardly understand the attitude of not participating in the negotiation for the treaty, while declaring its role of bridging nuclear and non-nuclear nations. I demand going forward to participating in the treaty as an only country having suffered from nuclear war and reviewing its policy depending on nuclear umbrella. I require the government to deliver the peaceful principle of Constitution of Japan and implementation of three non-nuclear principles to the world,” said Tagami.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not answer to the question cast by Tagami. “To achieve real world without nuclear weapons, participation of both nuclear and non-nuclear countries is needed,” told Abe in the memorial ceremony, as he had done in Hiroshima three days before. Japan still wants to promote the policy for the world without nuclear weapons under the umbrella of them.