Call for a World Rally to Abolish All Nuclear Plants and Weapons on August 6 in Hiroshima

Steering Committee of 68th Anniversary of atomic bombing—Aug. 6 Hiroshima Grand Action

Co-Chairs:
Reiko Shimoda (Survivor of atomic bombing on Hiroshima)
Ken Nakajima (Second-generation of atomic bomb survivor)
Atsuko Oe (Chair of Save the Iraqi Children–Hiroshima)
Keiko Muromoto (Yomogi-no Atelier NPO)
Ryoujun Yoshida (Doctor from the Koyo Daiichi Clinic)
Teruki Oe (President of Doro-Nishinihon) 

May, 2013

On August 6 and 9, 1945, Japan’s war of aggression on Asian countries resulted in the most horrible scene, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, the atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, including their second and third generations, have continued their resolute struggle against war for 68 years with the belief that nuclear weapons and human beings are incompatible.

In disregard of their serious and sincere aspirations, the U.S. and Japanese ruling classes have continued to develop their nuclear programs and nuclear stockpiles, denying responsibility for the war and atomic bombings, respectively. They are suppressing the atomic bomb survivors’ outcry.

For this purpose, the ABCC (Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission) collected data from the victims of the atomic bombings with the definite aim of preparing for a new nuclear war, in close cooperation with US military forces, and systematically attempted to conceal the effect of radiation exposure on victims and their descendants.

The Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), the successor to the ABCC, has until today totally ignored the realities of internal exposure caused by the Black Rain, or nuclear fallout. Toshiteru Okubo, Chairman of the RERF, openly pronounces, “Our study is not for the victims”.

For decades, uncountable nuclear experiments have been repeated and a large number of nuclear weapons have been produced. As a result, new victims are born in a great numbers. Meanwhile, the victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Bikini Atoll have been concealed and protest actions and the struggle of survivors against nuclear weapons has been severely suppressed.

In line with these developments, as many as 430 nuclear power reactors over the world, including 54 in Japan, were constructed with the euphemism “Atoms for Peace” and the myth of safe nuclear power, suppressing stubborn resistances against the construction of nuclear power plants. All this ended up with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident on March 11, 2011.

Two years since then, no facts have yet been disclosed about what really happened in Fukushima and what is happening there now. The actual situation is that an impending crisis of catastrophe exists even today. The Abe administration is leading a desperate effort to restart nuclear power plants and to promote the export of this technology, while nobody takes responsibility for the accident and the present situation. We are disgusted with them.

It is always distressing and painful to hear of the effects of radiation on children. More than 40 percent of Fukushima children showed evidence of thyroid abnormalities and 10 cases are suspected to have already developed into thyroid cancer as well. We strongly protest against the government’s attitude about medical care, which is only focused on investigation. Fukushima Medical University is, under governmental order, keeping in line with the outrageous ABCC principle mentioned above: investigation without treatment. To keep nuclear power plants online at any cost, the government is striving to wipe out reports of radiation in Fukushima by stepping up the campaign of “Safety”, “Restoration”, “Decontamination” and “Early Returns”. This is exactly the same way the government has been dealing with the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the hydrogen bomb victims including the Daigo Fukuryu Maru crew for the purpose of keeping on producing nuclear weapons.

However, the voices of the hibakusha and the struggles of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Bikini Atoll could never be crushed. The first-and-second-generation hibakusha of Hiroshima have bravely fought to survive. They demanded the state draft compensation legislation called the Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Law in order to provide medical treatment for people affected by the atomic bombings. They succeeded in establishing the Koyo Daiichi Clinic and thus taking medical care back into their hands from the “authority” of modern medicine, which goes against the treatment of hibakusha. They are unyieldingly pursuing governmental admission of responsibility and acknowledgement of the serious effects of internal exposure.

The people of Fukushima followed in the footsteps of these hibakusha’s struggles and this resulted in the opening of the Fukushima Collaborative Clinic. With this newly established clinic, they have fought back against the government’s business-as-usual campaign. This year, on the very anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns, the March 11 Fukushima Anti-NPP Action was a great success.

In summer this year, we will carry on the spirit of this Fukushima Action and hold the August 6 Hiroshima Grand Action. Sharing anger against nuclear power plants and the horror and fear of life-threatening radiation, we will call on people all over the world to scrap all nuclear power plants and abolish all nuclear weapons.

Let us gather full force and make every effort for the protection of children’s lives from radiation by developing the Fukushima Collaborative Clinic and expanding the children’s evacuation & recuperating short stay project. The government pays no attention to the workers at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, who are engaged in the work of containing the nuclear accident while under exposure to a high level of radiation. Internal exposure by radiation emitted from nuclear power plants takes the lives of workers even when the nuclear plant is in routine operation.

The railway workers of Doro-Mito (Mito is in a prefecture that neighbors Fukushima) waged strikes to refuse repair work on a contaminated train and stopped the running of the train to avoid putting their lives in danger. Such a struggle of workers united in a labor union against irradiated labor—labor exposed to radioactive contamination—and the international solidarity of other such militant labor unions will surely contribute to the overwhelming power needed to effect the total scrapping of all nuclear power plants.

We call on all people—the workers, farmers, fishermen, students, mothers and children of the whole world. Let us be united in commitment not to allow another Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Bikini Atoll or Fukushima!

Let us be united in resolving to scrap all nuclear power plants and abolish nuclear weapons from the earth–weapons that hold the potential to destroy the whole world!

Let us gather in Hiroshima and hold a “World Rally for the Total Abolition of Nuclear Power Plants and Weapons”!