"Hibakusha International Signature" Signing activity by high school students seeking participation in the nuclear ban treaty September 13 17:59
The "Hibakusha International Signature," a signature activity that requires all countries to participate in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, is due on the 18th of this month, and on the 13th, the last weekend, high school students in Tokyo and others are in the downtown area. I called for a signature.
The "Hibakusha International Signature" was started four years ago by a liaison committee formed by A-bomb survivor groups, and requires all countries to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons with the aim of eliminating nuclear weapons.
This is the final year of the signing activity and will be submitted to the UN General Assembly starting later this month, so the Liaison Committee has set a deadline for signing on the 18th of this month.
On the 13th, the last weekend before the deadline, about 10 members of a group made up of high school students in Tokyo will sign in front of JR Harajuku Station, saying, "Let's get rid of nuclear weapons. Your signature will change the world. ", And the people who passed by signed one after another.
This group has been conducting signature activities about once a month for three years, and has collected signatures for about 5,000 people so far.
A second-year high school girl who participated said, "Nuclear weapons must be truly inhumane and a problem for all of us who will bear the future."
In addition, a boy student in the first year of high school said, "I heard from the A-bomb survivors directly and became strongly motivated to eliminate nuclear weapons. I felt uncomfortable that Japan did not participate in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. I want to continue. "
What is Hibakusha International Signature?
The "Hibakusha International Signature" was started four years ago in 2016 by the Japan Confederation of Atomic Bomb Victims Association, etc., with the aim of eliminating nuclear weapons.
The year after the signing began, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which completely bans the development and possession of nuclear weapons, was adopted by the United Nations, and we are also requesting that all countries participate in this treaty thereafter.
This is the final year of the signing activity, and according to the liaison committee created by the Japan Confederation of Associations, a total of more than 11.8 million people have signed in Japan and overseas by the end of March.
The liaison meeting has set a deadline for signatures on the 18th of this month, and will submit the collected signatures to the UN General Assembly starting in New York later this month.
Terumi Tanaka, a representative member of the Japan Confederation of Unions and the representative of the Hibakusha International Signature Liaison Committee, said, "Through this activity, many people have come to know the problem of nuclear weapons and think of it as their own problem, especially among young people. I would like to continue my efforts for the entry into force of the treaty and the abolition of nuclear weapons. "
On top of that, he said, "I am not only disappointed but also angry about Japan's position not to participate in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Given that Japan is an A-bombed country, we have taken proper policies to realize the abolition of nuclear weapons. I want you to launch it. "
Government Thoughts on Nuclear Ban Treaty
The Government of Japan has indicated that it will not participate in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The government states that "Japan is the only country exposed to the war and shares the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons under the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."
However, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons does not take security perspectives into consideration, and participation in the treaty could undermine the legitimacy of US nuclear deterrence and allow the lives and property of the people to be endangered. I haven't.
In addition, it is said that the countries that possess nuclear weapons have not participated in the treaty and that they have not received support from the countries that do not have nuclear weapons. It is said that it will act as a bridge between the two countries and will persistently work toward nuclear disarmament.
Ratification of 6 more countries until the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons comes into effect
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which completely bans the development, possession, and use of nuclear weapons, requires six more ratifying countries to come into effect.
The ICAN = International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, an international NGO that has contributed to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and won the Nobel Peace Prize, is urging countries to reach the 50 countries required to come into effect by the end of the year.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which completely bans the development, possession, and use of nuclear weapons, was adopted by the United Nations three years ago in favor of 122 countries and regions.
Immediately after that, countries without nuclear weapons that agreed with the treaty continued to sign and ratify, and at the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, a total of four countries, including Ireland, ratified it last month, and 50 necessary for its entry into force. There are only 6 countries left until we reach one country.
ICAN, which contributed to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and won the Nobel Peace Prize three years ago, will hold a commemorative event on the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 2nd of next month and the "International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons" on the 24th of next month. At milestones such as "UN Day," we are urging each country to ratify it by six more countries.
The treaty is to come into effect 90 days after the ratifying countries reach 50.