Hidankyo Hopes to Boost Moves to Erase N-Weapons thru Award Ceremony

Tokyo, Dec. 2 (Jiji Press)--Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, on Monday voiced hopes that the group's Nobel Peace Prize win will boost moves to eradicate nuclear weapons.

"I hope that this opportunity will create a huge movement to eliminate nuclear weapons around the world," Tanaka, a 92-year-old hibakusha atomic bomb survivor, said at a press conference in Tokyo before the award ceremony in Oslo on Dec. 10.

A delegation of around 30 people, mainly members of Nihon Hidankyo, will leave for the Norwegian capital on Sunday.

The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Tanaka was 13 years old when he experienced the bombing in Nagasaki.

Asked about what he will say in his speech at the award ceremony, Tanaka said, "I'd like to tell the world the damage inflicted on humans by the atomic bombs." He said, "If we spread our message, this will pave the way to eliminate nuclear weapons."

The group winning this year's Nobel Peace Prize "has opened the door for bringing changes to nuclear powers," he said.

Revealing that he has spent over a month writing his speech, Tanaka said that he will mainly talk about the history of Nihon Hidankyo.

He paid tribute to like-minded peers who have since died, saying, "The faces of hibakusha who were with me at the forefront (of the group's efforts) popped into my mind."

"I'm a hibakusha from the world's only atomic-bombed country," said Michiko Kodama, 86-year-old assistant secretary-general at Nihon Hidankyo. "I hope to tell the world stories about the people who lost their lives (in the atomic bombings) and how hibakusha lived their lives."

Nihon Hidankyo achieved on the first day of its crowdfunding campaign a target of raising 10 million yen to cover travel expenses for the award ceremony. As of Monday, donations had reached around 36 million yen.

Jiro Hamasumi, 78-year-old Nihon Hidankyo assistant secretary-general, expressed gratitude for the donations, saying, "We're delighted by the vast uplifting support."

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