Sadao Hirano

It is estimated that, as of January 2023, there are currently 12,512 nuclear weapons in the world, 90% possessed by Russia and the U.S.A.  Other countries like China, U.K., France, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea, are also said to have nuclear weapons.  Even one nuclear weapon of these nine countries is so massive in power that it cannot be compared to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed 140,000 people by the end of 1945.  The population at the time was approximately 350,000, and if military personnel and those who had been mobilized from nearby areas were added, the population would have been approximately 400,000.  Many died, or like me, many people have since suffered from aftereffects.  We also cannot deny the possibility that second and third generations have been affected by the genetic effects from radiation exposure.  It only took one atomic bomb to cause this much damage.  If a war broke out in which nuclear weapons were used all over the world, the earth would be totally destroyed.  Nuclear weapons must be abolished!

The Japanese Government often uses the term “the only country to have suffered atomic bombings” because Japan is the only country where nuclear weapons have actually been used.  If that is the case, I wish that the government will speak out loudly and lead the world in calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.  In addition to nuclear abolition, Japan must not become a country capable of war.