Nuclear Weapons Condemned by Hidankyo Representative at the World Exposition
Hiroshi Kanamoto Denounces Nuclear Weapons at Osaka Expo
At the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, Japan, Hiroshi Kanamoto, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner and an official of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), delivered a powerful speech denouncing nuclear weapons as "absolutely evil arms whose sole purpose is extinction."
Kanamoto, who was an infant survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, shared deeply personal stories from his life, including the tragic story of his sister. She was 12 years old and living 1.5 kilometers from ground zero during the bombing on August 6, 1945. Despite surviving the radiation exposure, she lost most of her friends in the attack and struggled to find joy in life afterward.
The emotional story of Kanamoto's sister highlighted the long-term human cost of nuclear weapons beyond the immediate blast. She married in defiance of family opposition, but her first child was stillborn. Before dying of lung cancer, she expressed her regret, saying, "If I could tell my country anything, I want to say, 'I'd like my youth back.'"
Kanamoto has spent decades promoting peace by sharing testimonies of atomic bomb survivors. He emphasizes the urgent need to eliminate nuclear weapons worldwide to prevent future catastrophes, saying, "We must wipe out these weapons or they will wipe us out."
Representing survivors, Kanamoto's Nobel Peace Prize recognized the collective efforts of Hidankyo in nuclear disarmament advocacy and memory preservation. His personal narrative and leadership contribute significantly to the global anti-nuclear weapons movement.
The location of Hiroshima, where the atomic bombing occurred in western Japan on Aug. 6, 1945, in the closing days of World War II, adds a sense of urgency to Kanamoto's call to action. He delivered his lecture on Tuesday at the Osaka Expo, emphasizing that the world must learn from the past to ensure a future without nuclear weapons.
[1] [News Source 1] [2] [News Source 2] [3] [News Source 3] [4] [News Source 4]
Read also:
- Massive 8.8 earthquake hits off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert.
- Court petitions to reverse established decision on same-sex marriage legalization
- Proposed Standardization of Food Labeling Laws Among Member States by the Commission
- Trump strengthens economic control, drawing inspiration from China's practices
