Gap between Hiroshima and Kishida

The City of Hiroshima held the 79th Peace Memorial Ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on August 6th. While the world without nuclear weapons is a common hope for hibakushas and the people in Hiroshima, the reality of the world is still facing wars with intimidation of nuclear threats. The gap between the people suffered from nuclear weapons and the political leaders who are responsible for eliminating them looks getting wider.

In his Peace Declaration announced in the ceremony, the Mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, quoted a speech of Mikhail Gorbachev at Vladivostok in 1986. “President Gorbachev expressed humanity’s collective need for peace and his determination to stop the arms race, end nuclear terror, eradicate nuclear weapons, and relentlessly pursue political solutions to regional conflicts,” said Matsui. Matsui encouraged the people to take action to urge political leaders changing the course.

 

The Governor of Hiroshima, Hidehiko Yuzaki, delivered a message in the ceremony, which was fundamentally skeptical about nuclear deterrence. “I would like to ask these nuclear deterrentists: ‘How do you bear responsibility for the lives of innocent Ukrainian citizens who are losing their lives at this very moment? Ukraine is being invaded not because the country abandoned its nuclear arsenal but because Russia’s invasion cannot be stopped due to its possession of nuclear weapons,’” said Yuzaki.

 

Yuzaki was at a press conference the previous day to announce a policy proposal titled “Hiroshima Watch 2024.” “As long as countries continue to depend on nuclear deterrence and extended nuclear deterrence for their security, we cannot realistically anticipate the elimination of nuclear weapons in the future,” says the proposal.

 

Extended nuclear deterrence is what Fumio Kishida administration is relying on for Japan’s security. “As the alliance faces a severe strategic and nuclear environment, the ministers stressed the critical importance of continuing to enhance U.S. extended deterrence, bolstered by Japan’s defense capabilities,” says the joint statement of Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee (2+2) in July. Both governments launched a minister-level framework, Extended Deterrence Dialogue. However, Governor Yuzaki, a representative of the people in Hiroshima, does not believe in the concept.

 

 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hoped the world without nuclear weapons and permanent peace in his speech at the peace ceremony. But he did not tell much about how he would reach his goals but what he did as a prime minister of Japan, including Hiroshima Action Plan for the Non-proliferation Treaty or his chairmanship at G7 Hiroshima Summit last year.

 

Two sixth-grade students in Hiroshima read “Commitment to Peace” in the peace ceremony. “Peace will not come from prayers alone. It is up to us to protect our day-to-day lives and build peace,” they insisted. While young people emphasized determination for their future, Kishida did not show his concrete idea for peace.

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