Kiyomi Kono

In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilian lives were taken in an instant.  Many of those who were lucky enough to survive died one after another from radiation sickness.  Also, many people who were not directly exposed to the atomic bomb but entered the city after the bombing to look for their family members and friends later died or suffered from the aftereffects of the bombing.  Why is this?  It is because nuclear weapons are different from conventional weapons.  I would like people to know that.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with several people from Europe.  They came out of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum earlier than scheduled because they felt sick after seeing the exhibits.  They may have known about the atomic bombing but may have thought it happened a long time ago in some distant place and may have never had the chance to see what had actually happened.  I think they were shocked to see the reality of the atomic bombing at the museum.

Last year (2022) Russia invaded Ukraine and war started, and Russia is threatening the use of nuclear weapons as a means of intimidation.  I feel helpless, thinking that all the hibakusha’s efforts to appeal to the world about the horrors caused by nuclear weapons have been in vain.  Still, I feel that we must not remain silent.  The horror of nuclear weapons is something that we must continue to convey with a resolute attitude.

Even a small voice, when gathered, becomes a loud voice.  However, if those in power visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, encounter the reality of the atomic bombing, and understand the horror of nuclear weapons, wouldn’t that make a larger impact? 

The G7 summit will soon be held in Hiroshima (May 19-21, 2023).  I urge the leaders of each G7 country to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and listen to the stories of hibakusha.  I hear that today’s nuclear weapons are hundreds of times more powerful than those used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  If they were used, the human race would perish.  The saddest thing for me is to have our children’s future taken away from them.

In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was a long-held wish of the hibakusha.  By 2020, the number of countries that had ratified the treaty reached 50, a required number for its entry into force.  The treaty was entered into force on January 17, 2021.  As of January 9, 2023, 92 countries have signed, and 68 countries have ratified it. (Reference: Hiroshima City website) However, Japan as the only country that has experienced atomic bombings, refuses to join the treaty or participate as an observer in the Meetings of State Parties.  I hope that Japan will take even one step toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.