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On August 6, which marked the 70th anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, DPJ President Katsuya Okada visited Hiroshima and attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City.
Following the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, Okada delivered an address at a related ceremony and renewed his commitment to peace.
Speaking at a ceremony organized by the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, Okada expressed his views as follows: “The campaign for a nuclear-free world is coming to a standstill or is moving backwards. The situation has changed considerably since President Obama emerged and delivered his address.” He also said: “We all must come together as one and make steady efforts towards a world without nuclear weapons.” Okada introduced the activities of the DPJ Caucus on Nuclear Disarmament and described its two decisions. “First, there is the concept of the Northeast Asia Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone.” Okada elaborated, “North Korea’s nuclear issue remains outstanding. Nonetheless, in order to make progress on this front, we need to include North Korea in our efforts to make Northeast Asia a nuclear-free region.” Secondly, with Japan to host next year’s G7 Summit and the foreign ministers’ meeting to be held in Hiroshima, Okada said: “We will encourage the world’s leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, especially President Obama who has led the campaign for a world without nuclear weapons. The Caucus confirmed that it would undertake such activities.”
“If we do this, the campaign will regain its momentum,” Okada declared forcefully. He expressed his intent to step up these efforts, saying, “With political parties working together, we will aim once more to realize a world without nuclear weapons. We are committed to ensuring that this becomes a major worldwide movement.”
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