March 2005

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

Judge Christopher Weeramantry Speaking Tour

As part of its campaign to build popular support for a successful NPT Review Conference, the American Friends Service Committee is sponsoring a speaking tour for former Vice President of the International Court of Justice, Christopher Weeramantry. Judge Weeramantry gave the strongest opinion on the illegality of the use and threatened use of nuclear weapons in the World Court's 1996 advisory decision. This spring he will be speaking at the American Bar Association and the Arms Control Institute in Washington, DC, and at universities and law schools in several cities. Confirmed events include Yale Law School on April 16, Suffolk University Law School in Boston on April 19, Harvard Law School on April 20, and Tufts University on April 22. For more information about Judge Weeramantry's tour, visit the AFSC's Peace and Economic Security Program at www.afsc.org/pes.htm or call Joseph Gerson at 617/661-6130.

Nihon Hidankyo Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

The American Friends Service Commmittee has nominated an organization in Japan that represents Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

Nihon Hidankyo is an organization of Hibakusha -- survivors of the A-bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the subsequent H-bomb testing in the Bikini Atoll.

Founded in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo has worked for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the care and compensation of Hibakusha by the Japanese government. With chapters in all 47 administrative districts of Japan, one of Nihon Hidankyo's objectives is to improve current policies and measures on the protection and assistance for survivors. Its officers and members are all atomic bomb survivors.

Over the years, Nihon Hidankyo has helped build the worldwide nuclear abolition movement and has testified at United Nations sessions on nuclear test bans, nuclear non-proliferation, and disarmament. In recent years, Nihon Hidankyo has worked with a range of Japanese and other nongovernmental organizations to organize citizens' conferences focusing attention on the consequences of nuclear war and advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

In its Hibakusha Declaration for the 21st Century, Nihon Hidankyo states: "We want to open the "door to peace" before our lives end, to a Japan where the constitutional ideals prevail and a 21st century without war or nuclear weapons. The Door should lead to a Japanese Government that will acknowledge its responsibility for war, provide State compensation for the A-bomb damage and establish the country as a nation rejecting nuclear weapons and war. And it should lead to a US that will apologize for dropping the atomic bombs and embark on the abolition of nuclear weapons."

August 6, 2005 will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. To commemorate the anniversary and underscore the dangers of nuclear weapons Nihon Hidankyo is planning an international conference that month.

There are Hibakusha in countries around the world, including Korea, Russia, the Pacific Islands, China, India, Pakistan, and the United States. Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima identifies three major contributions of the Hibakusha: first, "they were able to transcend the infernal pain and despair that the bombings sowed and to opt for life;" second, by telling their story they have "effectively prevented a third use of nuclear weapons;" and finally, "they have rejected the path of revenge and animosity that leads to extinction for all humankind" and have, instead, worked to create a future of hope.

Visit www.ne.jp/asahi/hidankyo/nihon/english/ for additional information about Nihon Hidankyo.

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