International Symposium for Peace
"The Road to Abolition―What Civil Society Needs to Do Now" |
[Program]
[Opening]
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Opening Performance / BUNKEN (Guitarist)
Special Guest Speech / Yoko Ono
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[Special Event / Passing On A-Bomb Experiences]
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Introduction to Messages from Hibakusha Website "Memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" (Produced by the Asahi Shimbun Company)
Recitation of A-Bomb Testimonies / Hiroshima Ondoku-no-kai |
[Panel Discussion]
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(Panelists)
George Perkovich, vice president of the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace (U.S.A.) / Tilman Ruff, Representative of the International Campaign
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) (Europe) / Kazumi Mizumoto, from Hiroshima
University and vice president of the Hiroshima Peace Institute (Japan)
/ Motoko Mekata, professor at Chuo University's Faculty of Policy Studies
(Japan)
(Coordinator) Toshiaki Miura - Asahi Shimbun Editorial Writer |
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The speech in Prague by United States President Obama, the adoption of
a new START (new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) between Russia and America,
the adoption of a final document at the NPT Review Conference, with momentum
growing towards the abolition of nuclear weapons, an international symposium
for peace entitled "The Road To Abolition—What Civil Society Needs
To Do Now" was held on the afternoon of July 31st (Sunday) at the
International Conference Center Hiroshima. The goal was to discuss measures
the international community should take to accelerate this trend and stimulate
further international public demand. The symposium was hosted by Hiroshima
City, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation and The Asahi Shimbun, with
support from Nagasaki City, the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of
Peace, Hiroshima Home Television Co. and Nagasaki Culture Telecasting Corp.
This was the 17th Symposium in this series, which began in 1995. (The
Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation has been a sponsor 13 times.) |
Special Guest
Yoko Ono, the recipient of the 8th Hiroshima Art Prize which is given to
contemporary artists that have contributed to peace, offered a keynote
message saying "No more Hiroshima" is not to remind us of the
victims, but is something we want to do for them, give them a world with
no more Hiroshimas. She strongly declared that if all the people who are
pushing for a world without nuclear weapons do whatever small good deeds
they can, they will lead us to world peace.
Special Event / Passing On A-Bomb Experiences |
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| Yoko Ono (far right) happily receiving a paper crane lei from junior and senior high school Peace Club. |
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After the introduction of the Asahi Shimbun website "Memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki",
the testimonies of Kazue Sawada and Satomi Maeda were read from the site by Mie Morioka and Keiko Miyagawa,
members of the Hiroshima Ondonku-no-kai (a storytelling club), and Ms. Sawada and Ms. Maeda appealed for peace from the stage. |
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Panel Discussion |
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| The Panel Discussion |
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Reports From Panelists
George Perkovich - Abolition of nuclear weapons is similar to the abolition of slavery.
People who fear change refuse the abolition of nuclear weapons. Now is
the time to tell the world the experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as
the trend is moving toward abolishing nuclear weapons. It is important
to build trust internationally so that "security" can be achieved
without using nuclear weapons.
Tilman Ruff - Nuclear reactors and spent fuel storage pools can become terrible weapons
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producing radioactivity. Wherever you are in the world, if a nuclear weapon is used, you will be harmed.
Let's make a strong appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons from our civil society.
Kazumi Mizumoto - Japan has four nuclear-related policies: the three non-nuclear principles,
the defense policy relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, promotion of peaceful
use of nuclear energy (nuclear power generation) and foreign policy seeking
for nuclear disarmament. We need a broad national debate to align the four
policies in the same direction.
Motoko Mekata - As with the abolition of anti-personnel mines, in regards to nuclear
weapons, it is important for many people to share the idea of spreading
internationally the new value of abolishing nuclear weapons internationally.
With respect to the nuclear damage experienced in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and
Fukushima, all citizens of the world must raise their voices and say that
frightening things are frightening, and bad things are bad urging substantive
advances by the Japanese government toward nuclear disarmament.
Discussion by Panelists
After the panelists gave reports on their areas of expertise, the coordinator,
Toshiaki Miura, led discussions on the meaning of the accident at the nuclear
power plant in Fukushima, what's going on now with disarmament in the international
community, and what we can do as a civil society. A variety of proposals
and opinions were given by the panelists. |
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Kazumi Mizumoto - We must accurately report what we learn from the Fukushima situation.
The military and peaceful utilizations of nuclear energy are inextricably
linked, and the risks of both are very high. |
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George Perkovich - President Obama tried to show leadership in his speech in Prague by
advocating a nuclear-free world, but there is a lot of resistance. Civil
society needs support and leadership from leaders like President Obama
in other countries. |
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Tilman Ruff - To spread understanding of the humanitarian aspects of nuclear weapons,
it is necessary for civil society to strongly influence each country's
government to begin negotiations for a nuclear prohibition treaty. |
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Motoko Mekata - Perhaps a single person has little power, but everyone acting with a
single mind can bring about a big change in society. This year, in a positive
meaning, is the starting point for nuclear disarmament, with each person
thinking of a message he or she definitely wants Hiroshima to send to the
world. |
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Toshiaki Miura – Foreigners have used the word "resilient" to extol the people
of Japan. This means not giving up under any condition, to remain resolute.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were also "resilient". I think it would
be great if one frame of today's symposium was "resilience".
I want to keep conveying it this way in the future. |
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(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division) |
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