Feature story - August 7, 2007
From the Executive Director of our office in Japan, Jun Hoshikawa, comes this appeal to the government of Japan to maintain that country's constitutional renunciation of war: Sixty-two years ago on August 6th, a uranium-type atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and a Plutonium-type atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later on August 9th. Both were indiscriminate bombings, both targeted the two city’s civilians and both starkly violated international law. We offer our deepest sympathy to the families of the people who lost their lives on not only August 6th and August 9th but also those who died from the fallout of the two bombs – over 400,000 people - and share the suffering of those who have survived through various levels of the radiation contamination.
Jun Hoshikawa, Executive Director, Greenpeace Japan.
Greenpeace was founded in 1971 with the aim of creating a world
without nuclear threats. The unprecedented tragedies of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki bring home the reality of such a nuclear threat in our
world. It proves categorically that we must abandon all nuclear
weapons, nuclear power generation and plutonium recycling
altogether.
We Japanese are not only victims of the war, but also
perpetrators, who created 20 million victims in the Asia-Pacific
region, including the victims of the first ever indiscriminate
aerial bombings of the Chinese cities of Nanking and Chongqing,
which ultimately led to the two atomic bombings by the United
States of America. Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be allowed to
happen again in any region or country; war is not and never will be
an answer.
The post-Second World War Japanese Constitution was a treasure
box, which designated a future without war. It was only earned
through the tremendous mistakes we made in the Asia-Pacific War and
the tragic experiences of being victims of the two atomic bombings.
Article 9 of the Constitution, which renounces war forever as a
means of settling international disputes, was the shining pearl in
the treasure box. However, even the treasures of the Japanese
Constitution we have dearly guarded for 60 years since its
enactment could tarnish and get discarded if we don't protect them
and put them to good use. The current Prime Minister with the
formal backing of the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party,
is openly aiming at the removal of the Article 9 enabling Japan to
go to war.
In 2005, Greenpeace released a
joint statement "No More Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Stop Rokkasho
Reprocessing Plant" signed by 28 Executive directors world-wide on
the Hiroshima Memorial Day as a gesture to renew our pledge for
peace. Although we face even more nuclear and war threats today,
our resolve remains just as firm. We will protect Article 9 and
'aspire sincerely' to strengthen our efforts to bring about a world
without nuclear threats and war.