Responsibility of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, elected from Hiroshima, On the occasion of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima

Responsibility of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, elected from Hiroshima,

On the occasion of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima

March 16, 2023

Hiroshima and Japan Congress against A & H Bombs (Gensuikin)

Greetings to my friends, fellow peace workers and ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tadatoshi Akiba, Former Mayor of Hiroshima.  I am honored and privileged to represent Gensuikin, or the Hiroshima and Japan Congress against A & H Bombs, to discuss what the Hiroshima G7 Summit means and should be doing.

First and foremost, we expect all participants to show genuine respect to the hibakusha or A-bomb survivors.  Respect means listening to their experiences after the bombing at full length, even though such reality is indescribable by words alone.  They must spend at least one hour touring the Peace Memorial Museum to understand the reality. 

Listening to hibakusha and touring the museum is what students do when they visit Hiroshima on school excursions.

We expect that the G7 Summit participants will do more because they have the power to decide whether or not to use nuclear weapons or to influence such decisions, which students do not have directly.

Since the host of this Summit, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, represents Hiroshima, his role in leading the direction of the Summit is critical.

The meaning and purpose of "Hiroshima" are to realize a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons by understanding the reality of the atomic bombings and respecting the hibakusha's messages humbly and sincerely.  It should not, in the least, ignore or belittle the meaning of "Hiroshima" or use it as an official seal to justify the rule of power.

The fact that no nuclear weapons states have used nuclear weapons since Nagasaki is significant.  However, the point of emphasis should be that, as John Hersey, the author of Hiroshima, stated in 1985, the hibakusha prevented such use as they have passionately testified their own experiences and appealed to the world not to use them. 

In other words, the hibakusha possess the power of "nuclear deterrence."  It is never permissible to attribute the non-use of nuclear weapons over these years to the "nuclear deterrence theory," which asserts that the possession of or the threat of use of nuclear weapons caused such no use.

As the hibakusha are aging, now is the time to discuss what the world should do to prevent the use of nuclear weapons in the world where we would not be able to rely on the hibakusha's deterrence power.  The conclusion is simple and obvious: there is no other way than to rely on the effective legal instrument, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or TPNW.

The first step toward utilizing this power is for nuclear weapons states to declare that they will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.  The historical significance of the leaders of three nuclear weapons states gathering in Hiroshima for the first time to attend the Summit should be no other than this declaration.  

They and the other G7 leaders, including Prime Minister Kishida, approved the G20 Bali Summit Declaration last November, which, in particular, stated, "The use and threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible." Reaffirming this premise at every opportunity, including this Summit, is indispensable for ensuring that President Putin – or another leader – is dissuaded from using nuclear weapons, which is now one of the world's most pressing issues.

There are signs that Prime Minister Kishida and the other six leaders should aim higher: The G7 Hiroshima Declaration should be the starting point for the universal "No First Use" of nuclear weapons.

The first sign comes from Tomosaburo Kato, the first prime minister from Hiroshima, who passed away exactly 100 years ago.  He played a central role in concluding the Washington Naval Treaty in 1921.  By restraining the military at that time, Kato was able to transform Japan's policy of arms expansion into that of disarmament.  In addition, he successfully changed the antagonistic and confrontational relationships against the United States to those of cooperation.  It is also praiseworthy that Kato improved Japan's relations with China and the Soviet Union, which had not participated in the Washington conference, thus brightening the world's future.  Historians argue that had he lived a few years longer; he would have prevented Japan from entering the war against the United States.

As a prime minister from Hiroshima, Kishida should follow his example by exhibiting leadership in Japan's disarmament and worldwide disarmament and cooperation, including those countries that are not participating in the G7 Summit.  In particular, Kishida should initiate a peace process that would end the Ukrainian war as soon as possible by resorting to the moral authority and the high regard the world has always paid to Hiroshima.

The second good sign that supports such an attempt is the G20 Bali Summit Declaration I mentioned earlier.

Another comes from China and India: They have adhered to no-first-use policies since acquiring nuclear weapons.

China recently released a twelve-point peace proposal on February 24, stating, among other things, "nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought.  The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed." 

Prime Minister Modi of India coined the phrase, "This era must not be of war," which left its mark in the Bali Declaration.

Suppose Japan, India, and China can create a path to end the Russia/Ukraine War and spearhead global no-first-use and the eventual abolition of nuclear weapons.  Then the hibakusha, including those who have passed away, would be more than proud of the accomplishment, and the world would hail them as heroes of the 21st century.

When more than 50,000 people died in a massive earthquake, and tens of thousands need help in Turkey and Syria, why are we wasting away precious human and material resources for war efforts instead of utilizing them for rescuing those people?

Let me close by quoting an elder from Hiroshima: Sunao Tsuboi, a hibakusha leader who died two years ago:

"Never again, and never give up!"

Finally, let me add a footnote:  These remarks represent a compilation of the document that Gensuiki submitted to Prime Minister Kishida on February 14, with copies sent to the heads of the G7 countries, and the acceptance speech delivered by Tadatoshi Akiba on March 4 of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Peace Prize in London.

 最後に今日一日、皆さんにとって、素晴らしい24時間でありますよう!

[2022/3/16　イライザ]

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