Signatures Sought in Nagasaki for Ratification of Nuclear Weapons Treaty

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, May 21, 2023

NAGASAKI — The Nagasaki Council against A and H Bombs (Nagasaki Gensuikyo) collected signatures in downtown Nagasaki on Saturday for a petition calling on the Japanese government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

About 10 people — “second-generation hibakusha,” or children of atomic bomb survivors, and members of Nagasaki Gensuikyo — held a banner that read, “Now is the time for the Japanese government to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

The drive was held in conjunction with the Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima.

“[The government] should prioritize diplomacy through discussions, not strengthening its defense capabilities. As the only nation that has been attacked with atomic bombs, I hope the government will take the initiative in calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons at the G7 summit,” said a 47-year-old woman who signed the petition.