核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会

　APPEAL OF HIROSHIMA PEACE DELEGATION TO
NPT REVIEW CONCONFERENCE
―COMMEMORATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOMBING―

The Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA)
Presidents: Goro Kawai, Haruko Moritaki, Mitsuo Okamoto
c/o Allied Hiroshima Coop, 8-23-4 Hacchoubori, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0012
E-mail kenren.h@proof.ocn.ne.jp URL http://e-hanwa.org/
April～May, 2005

Hiroshima and Nagasaki will commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing on August 6th this year. When the late Pope John Paul II visited Hiroshima in 1981, he said: “To think about Hiroshima is to deny a nuclear war”. Has humanity thought seriously about Hiroshima, learned a real lesson from the Atomic Inferno, and succeeded in building a peaceful global society without nuclear weapons? Unfortunately, the answer is NO. On the contrary, the United States and the Soviet Union, joined by other big powers, took part in the nuclear arms race accumulating more than 69,000 nuclear warheads by 1986. True, the nuclear arms race has subsided since the end of the Cold War, and the total number of nuclear warheads has decreased, yet the Green Earth is still surrounded by more than 30,000 nuclear warheads as of early summer 2005.
In addition, since the 9/11 incident the Bush administration has become ever more dependent on nuclear weapons under the pretext of “war on terror” and has started developing usable mini-nukes such as earth-penetrating bunker-busters. As if to underscore such a project, they have made an open unhesitating declaration to resume nuclear experiments, which have ceased since 1992. The US Senate’s refusal to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the one-sided American abrogation of the ABM Treaty with Russia clearly shows the Bush administration’s posture of heavily relying on nuclear weapons. This all contradicts the ground swell of history toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Another grave concern of ours is the militarization of space, i.e. taking up once more the Strategic Defense Initiative originally proposed by President Reagan. This project is a sheer hallucination, and it was once pronounced dead, but the Bush administration is resuscitating the ghost. The project has nothing to do with the peace and security of the world, or even that of the American people. Although it may bring even greater profits to the US weapons industries, it will be worse than useless for Americans and world citizens. Moreover, as the weaponization of space involves the use of plutonium, a single accident may cause irreparable disaster for all life on earth.
Also, according to Iraqi medical doctors who visited Hiroshima a few times before the Iraq War serious health problems are bedeviling a great number of people in Iraq (and in former Yugoslavia) as the possible result of the use of depleted uranium (DU) weapons. In these areas where chemically poisonous and radioactive DU weapons were used by American and British troops, macabre diseases have been spreading, and particularly among children, there are countless cases of leukemia and cancers. At the same time, it is possible that exposure to the radioactive pollution caused by weapons made from depleted uranium may have caused serious health hazards suffered by the American and European soldiers alike who took part in military operations in these areas, and serious abnormalities in some of their children.
Certainly, we cannot tolerate terrorism of any kind. In particular, we would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the victims and the bereaved of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As citizens of Hiroshima we are sensitive enough to share the sorrow of the family members who lost their loved ones. At the same time, however, what we would like to share is that terrorism has to be addressed not by military retaliation, but by police and legal institutions reinforced by international solidarity. Violent retaliatory actions solve nothing but rather increase terrorism. In fact, the present situation in Iraq vividly illustrates the point.
The world remembers the humanitarian aid by the US at a time when people were suffering from the devastation brought on by WW II. Neither have we forgotten the fair and generous economic policy of the US, which helped Germany and Japan recover from misery and achieve the economic miracle. In contrast, however, we deplore that the unilateral behavior of the Bush administration, ignoring the UN and deriding international law, in the last four and half years has not only increased violence and terrorism in the world but significantly impaired the prestige of the US as the champion of democracy.
We, the hibakusha and citizens of Hiroshima, desire a peaceful world without nuclear weapons, wars, and terrorism. As we are visiting New York city at this occasion of the Review Conference of the Non Proliferation Treaty, we strongly urge that all nuclear weapons states critically reflect on their poor records of implementing the “unequivocal undertaking” of nuclear disarmament agreed upon in 2000. We implore you to reconfirm the commitment to make every effort to accomplish substantial nuclear disarmament by the Review Conference of the NPT in 2010.
We dare to say that the policy of nuclear deterrence is nothing but “state terrorism” with the weapons of the devil and Hiroshima cannot accept this evil of “state terrorism”. It would be impossible to prevent the appearance of new nuclear weapon states and to maintain the NPT regime as long as a group of specific states claim the legitimacy of keeping nuclear weapons in a world where nations, big or small, ought to be treated equally under international law. Are these “privileged” nations who advocate the evil of “state terrorism” qualified to criticize the evil of the terrorists? We cannot accept the US proposal to undermine the NPT agreement by means of its “nuclear review posture” under the pretext of “war on terror.” Such an act violates the disarmament obligation stipulated in Article VI of the Non Proliferation Treaty.
The only way to avoid a nuclear catastrophe is to pay proper respect to worldwide law and order enshrined in the UN Charter through which gradual and complete nuclear disarmament may eventually be accomplished. The NPT serves only as the first step, but it is nevertheless the only international treaty on nuclear weapons and has to be respected as such. The international society, therefore, has the responsibility to implement concrete measures aimed at accomplishing the following objectives: 1) gaining greater international respect for the NPT; 2) treating all nations equally, with none privileged and none discriminated against; 3) the prohibition of pre-emptive nuclear strikes; 4) a halt to the development, experiment, and production of nuclear weapons; 5) reinforcement of the NPT agreement by ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; and 6) taking all nuclear warheads off hair trigger alert
We, the hibakusha and citizens of Hiroshima, come to the UN at this 60th year since the Atomic Bombing. We urgently demand with “a burning spirit of Hiroshima” that the US and other nuclear weapon states promote more effective moves toward nuclear disarmament, realize a total and complete nuclear disarmament in the early years of the 21st century, and make utmost efforts to prepare a truly peaceful world free of nuclear weapons, free of wars, and free of terrorism.

The members of the delegation:
Mr. Shuichi Adachi (Attorney), Mr. Suguru Fujiwara (Pharmacist), Ms. Yukuko Fujiwara (Teacher, School for Challenged Children), Ms. Haruka Katarao (Graduate Student), Ms. Kuniyo Kawabata(YWCA Officer), Mr. Nobuo Kazashi (Ph.D., Professor), Ms. Haruko Moritaki (Peace Advocate), Mr. Mitsuo Okamoto (Ph.D., Professor Emeritus), Ms. Kazuko Koyama (Interpreter), Ms. Tomoko Koyama (Junior Highschool Student), Ms. Yoshie Ozaki (Volunteer Interpreter), Ms. Fumiko Sora (Hibakusha), Mr. Takayuki Sasaki (Graduate Student), Ms. Miwako Sawada (Company Executive & Interpreter), Mr. Osamu Shinohara (Professor), Mr. Toshiyuki Tanaka (Ph.D., Professor), Mr. Katsumi Toshimoto (Corporate Officer), Mr. Ichiro Yuasa (Ph.D., Scientist).

(さらに…)

既報のように、熊本市の小学校で教諭が、小学校4年生の児童に対し、課外授業の時間に原爆被爆の写真パネルを使って、「肝試し」をしていた事実が明らかになりました。
　「核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会」として、これが決して特異な問題ではなく、現在の日本の教育現場の実態、平和教育、人権教育が教育の場から消えていっている現状への警鐘として大な問題性があるということから、下記のように声明を出しました。
　この声明を熊本市教育委員会、市教委を通じて当該学校、熊本県教育委員会、政府文部科学省、広島県教育委員会、広島市教育委員会、熊本県報道機関、などに送付しました。熊本県の報道機関からの反応にちょっと安堵しています。
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
熊本市小学校での「被爆者の写真」による「肝試し」についての声明
　核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会
私たちは、広島の地において、５９年前の被爆体験を固く心に刻みながら核兵器廃絶と恒久平和を切望して、全力を注いで生きている市民のグループです。昨日、熊本市内の市立小学校で、校内の天体観測会「月と星の観察会」で「肝試しをしよう」と、教諭が児童にケロイドのある原爆被爆者の写真を見せていて、校長らが謝罪していたという記事を見て、原爆被害者の写真パネルを、「教育者」が教育現場で「肝試し」に使うという事態の発生に深い悲しみと憤りを禁じることができません。
当該教諭や学校、統轄教育行政機関に強く抗議します。
広島や長崎への原爆投下によってひき起こされた数十万の人々の死、59年にわたる後障害による苦しみを体験したヒロシマ・ナガサキは、この事態を看過することはできません。
この事件は、多くの被爆者に、被爆後体験させられたケロイドなど後障害への心無い差別などから舐めた辛酸をを生々しく思い出させ、遺族には面影も残さず高熱に焼き殺されていった肉親への無念の思いを新たに抱かせる許されないものです。
核戦争がもたらしたこの上ない非人間的悲惨の体験から、ヒロシマ・ナガサキは、苦しみや憎しみを乗り越えて被爆体験を世界に伝え、核兵器廃絶のために努力してきました。
被爆者を中心とするそのような努力が教育の場で根底から覆されるような、非人間的な「教育」が繰り返されてはなりません。
命の重みや平和の大切さを教えるべき教育の場であってはならないことが起こってしまった今回のことは、単なる特異な事件としてではなく、学校教育の現在のありようが深刻な状況にあることへの警鐘と思わざるを得ません。学校現場から平和教育、人権教育が追いやられていっている実態があります。
平和教育、人権教育が教育の根底におかれ実践されていたら、このような事件は起こりえないことだと信じます。熊本市で生じた、人間教育の場に許されない事件を告発するとともに、再発を招くことの無いよう教育現場および教育行政機関が、被爆体験の継承にもとずく核兵器廃絶と恒久平和を実現する平和への意志を培う人間教育に力を入れられるよう、あらためて強く要請するものです。
2004年10月27日　
核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会
　　　共同代表　　岡本　三夫　　河合　護郎　　　森滝春子
　　　 連絡先　　〒730－0012　広島市中区上八丁堀8－23　広島県生協連合気付け
　　　　　　　　　　Ｔel　082－502-3850 Fax　082－502-3860

(さらに…)

　９・１１事件から３年目を向かえ、核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会（ＨＡＮＷＡ）では、９・１１遺族の会「平和な明日のための９・１１家族の会」（通称　ピースフル・トゥモローズ）に連帯のメッセージを送りました。
　それに応えて、ピースフル・トゥモローズから「０４・９・１１ピースフルトゥモローズ声明」が送られてきました。

　９・１１以後、３年目を迎えた現在、世界はますます危険な道をたどっているように思われます。
　「核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会」は、９・１１の惨事によって結成された遺族の会「平和な明日のための９・１１家族の会」と交流を続けてきました。
　2002年４月に、アメリカに「ヒロシマ・ナガサキ反核平和使節団」の行脚に出かけた時にＷＴＣ跡地で共に追悼式をして交流したり、その後、メンバーのリタ・ラサールさんや、ライアン・アムンソンさんを広島に招聘し、日本各地で交流会を持ったりしてきました。
　彼らは、事件後アメリカが、彼ら犠牲者の名前における報復戦争による人殺しを止めさせよう（Not Kill in our names!)と世界各地〈アフガンやイラクにも〉に出かけて活動しています。今日彼らに対する国内での風当たりは強く困難な状況の中にあって、ヒロシマの心に連帯して活動を続けています。

核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会（ＨＡＮＷＡ）

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ＨＡＮＷＡからの連帯のメッセージ
（執筆・共同代表　岡本三夫）

September 7, 2004
Dear Members of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows!

We, the members of HANWA, would like to send you our renewed message of empathy and solidarity as the third anniversary of the 9/11 is around the corner. It is almost three years now since the tragedy engulfed you.
Time flies, indeed!
Certainly, such a fateful and sorrowful day cannot be buried in oblivion for any body, but especially for the bereaved family members like you. The chagrin may not disappear for a long time. You must be remembering the days when you searched around your lover, sister, brother, daughter, son, mother, father, cousin, other relatives, friends, etc.
through rubbles at the WTC—-we know some of you have lost your loved one at the Pentagon, too. Most of you must be pondering over the dreary, depressing days of anger, frustration, emptiness, despair, and exhaustion following the disaster.
Your experience resembles what hundreds of thousands of the citizens in Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced fifty nine years ago. Even after more than half a century they still suffer deep anguish of the sudden loss of their loved ones. Your grief, however, must be far more acute and painful as it was only three years ago.
That you have overcome your despair, and continuously transmitted to the world over your message of peace instead of violence, love instead of hatred, and solidarity instead of vengeance, has not only inspired the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also encouraged us significantly in that we can build up our hopes for the future of the world. Your message does correspond to the affirmation here: No More Hiroshima! No More Nagasaki! In this mission of non-violence and peace we feel a powerful spiritual bond between you and us.
During the last three years people in Afghanistan and Iraq had to endure the destruction of war and the ensuing misery. We cannot and should not forget that multitude of them have lost their relatives and friends exactly like you and us. It is the same in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, and most recently in Beslan, Russia.
The world is becoming more dangerous and violent due to the prevailing Weltanschauung, i.e. a philosophy that might is right. To counter violence by violence breeds more violence. It amounts to a vicious circle. The only solution is to address the root causes of violence that are poverty, prejudice, discrimination, inequality, injustice, greed and jingoism. The members of Peaceful Tomorrows and the Hibakusha together with citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have learned this simple truth which they would like to share with others.
Terrorism is rampant all over the world. However, we think war is a state-terror and nuclear war will be the most heinous terror that one can ever think of. The Russell-Einstein Manifesto concludes that war must be abolished, for so long as war exists national leaders cannot resist the temptation to resort to the most powerful weapons of the day, nuclear weapons. This year also, therefore, on August 6th in Hiroshima and on 9th in Nagasaki, people from all over Japan and overseas gathered there together and renewed our pledge of “No More Hiroshima!” and “No More Nagasaki!” and have shared our determination to create the culture of peace and non-violence.
We hear you have been libeled as coward as many Americans today tend to justify violent means to solve conflicts. Do not be discouraged in your endeavor for peace, love, and truth. We are with you and the history will be on your side. For, love conquers all things (Amor omnia vincit)!
With love from Hiroshima

THE HIROSHIMA ALLIANCE FOR NUCEAR WEAPONS ABOLITION (HANWA)
Directors: Ms. Moritaki Haruko, Mr. Kawai Goro, and Dr. Okamoto Mitsuo

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（日本語訳　森滝春子）

２００４年９月７日

　　平和な明日のための９・１１家族の会へのメッセージ

　私たち「核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会」のメンバーは、ピースフル・トゥモローズの皆さんが【９・１１】三周年忌の追悼を迎えるにあたり、あらためて共感と連帯のメッセージをお送りしたいと思います。あの悲劇があなた方を飲み込んでからもう３年になろうとしています。時間の経つのは、なんと早いことでしょう!
　全く、あのような運命的な悲嘆をもたらした日は、誰にとっても忘却の中に埋めることはできないでしょう、とりわけあなた方ご遺族にとっては。
あの無念さは、長く消えることはないでしょう。あなたたちは、世界貿易センターの瓦礫の中で、恋人を、姉妹を、兄弟を、娘を、息子を、母を、父を、いとこを、親戚の人たちや友たちなどを探し回ったあの日々のことを忘れることはないでしょう。あなたたちの中にはペンタゴンでも愛する人を失った人もいます。大惨事の後に続いた、怒りと混乱、空虚、絶望の失意の日々の疲労困憊した侘しさに思いをはせていることでしょう。
　あなた方の経験は、５９年前にヒロシマやナガサキの数十万の市民たちが経験したことに似通っています。半世紀経った今日でさえ、彼らは愛する者たちを、突然失った深い苦悩に打ちひしがれています。しかしながら、あなた方にとっては、その深い悲しみは、未だ３年しか経っていないが故に、より鋭く苦痛に充ちたものに違いありません。
　皆さんが、その絶望を乗り越えて、暴力ではなく平和を、憎しみでなく愛を、報復ではなく連帯を、というあなた方のメッセージを、休むことなく世界中に伝え続けておられることは、ヒロシマ・ナガサキの市民を鼓舞するだけでなく、私たちみんなが世界の未来に対する希望や自信を持てるよう大変励ましてくれています。あなた方のメッセージは、こちらの「ノーモア・ヒロシマ！」「ノーモア・ナガサキ！」の宣言と響き合っています。
　非暴力（ノン・バイオレンス）と平和の使命において、私たちはあなたたちとの間に、力強い精神的な繋がりを感じます。
　この３年間、アフガニスタンやイラクの人々は、戦争による破壊や苦難に耐えてこなければなりませんでした。彼らの多くもまた、あなた方や私たちと同じように、まさしく愛するものたちを失ってしまったのだということは忘れることはできないし、また忘れてはならないことです。それは、パレスチナ、アフガニスタン、イラクそして最近のロシア・北オセチアでも同じです。
世界は、戦争の文化によって私たちの願いや希望を踏みにじり、より危険で暴力的になりつつあります。暴力による暴力への報復は、よりいっそうの暴力を生み出します。それは危険な循環です。唯一の解決の道は、暴力の根元に焦点を当てること、すなわち、貧困、偏見、差別、不平等、不正義、貪欲、好戦的愛国主義を解決することです。ピースフル・トゥもローズのメンバーやヒバクシャはヒロシマ・ナガサキの市民とともに、彼らが人々と共有すべき紛れのない真実を学んだのです。
　テロリズムが世界にはびこっています。しかしながら、私たちは、戦争は国家テロであり、核戦争は考えうる限りの最も極悪なるテロであると考えます。
　ラッセル－アインシュタイン声明は、「戦争そのものが根絶されるべきである、というのは、戦争が存在する限り国家指導者たちは、もっとも強力な兵器、核兵器に頼る誘惑に抗しきれないからである」と結論を下しています。それゆえ、今年もまた、８月６日ヒロシマに、そして８月９日ナガサキに、日本各地から、海外から人々が集い、ともに｣【ノーモア・ヒロシマ！】、【ノーモア・ナガサキ!】の誓いを新たにするとともに、非暴力と平和の文化を築く決意を共にしました。
紛争を解決する手段として暴力を正当化する方向にむかっている多数のアメリカ人たちが、あなた方を臆病者だと中傷していると聞きました。どうか、平和、愛、そして真実のためのあなた方の真剣な努力を邪魔されませんように。
私たちは、あなた方と共にあり、歴史もまたわれわれの側につくでしょう。何故なら、愛こそがすべてに優るからです。

ヒロシマから愛をこめて

核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会（ＨＡＮＷＡ）
　共同代表　　　岡本　三夫　　　　河合　護郎　　　森瀧　春子

(さらに…)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2004年5月26日

アメリカ合衆国
ジョージ・ブッシュ大統領殿

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　共同代表　　河合　護郎
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　森滝　春子

　　　　　　　　　臨界前核実験に抗議します

　貴政府は、2002年「核態勢の新しい見直し」という核政策を押し出し、世界が築いてきた核軍縮の流れに逆行してきました。
　7カ国を名指しして核兵器使用もあり得る先制攻撃論を打ち出し、その後着々とその実行を進めてきました。
　イラクへの先制攻撃において先制攻撃を実行し、核兵器そのものは使用しなかったものの、放射能兵器である[劣化ウラン弾]を大量に使用しました。
　そして、使いやすい核兵器としての小型核兵器の開発に予算を計上し、次なる戦争では核兵器使用の敷居を低くして、いよいよ使おうとしているかに見えます。
　今回の臨界前核実験の実施はまさにその一環と見ざるをえません。
　大義なきイラク戦争を強行した上、それが破綻し、世界から孤立するや、核兵器のいっそうの開発に乗り出すその姿勢に私たちヒロシマは黙視するわけにはいきません。
　未臨界核実験を核兵器の安全性の確保と言い訳しつつ、実際には地下核実験再開への一里塚として強行した事は明白です。
　核戦争を体験したヒロシマの地からここに強く抗議いたします。
　今後、一切の核兵器開発に関わる臨界前核実験はもとより地下核実験の再開を実施することのないよう要求します。

核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会
　連絡先〒730-0012広島市中区上八丁堀８－２３　広島県生協連合会内
　Tel 082-502-3850

May 26, 2004

The Honorable George W. Bush
President
United States of America

We protest your subcritical nuclear test.

Your nuclear doctrine, as set forth in the Nuclear Posture Review of 2002, clearly contains policies incompatible with the global majority’s desire for nuclear disarmament. You named seven nations against which you contemplate a preemptive nuclear attack, and you are carefully proceeding toward the realization of your intention. You carried out a preemptive attack on Iraq and, though you have yet to use nuclear weapons, you used radiological weapons of mass destruction known as depleted uranium munitions.

You have requested and received funds for the development of low-yield mini-nukes; it seems you are lowering the nuclear threshold and planning to use them in your next war. This most recent subcritical nuclear test is merely another step toward your goal.

You forced an immoral war with Iraq, and you have failed, while becoming increasingly isolated. You claim that your tests are designed to ensure the safety of your stockpiles, but this one was obviously scheduled to prepare for resumption of full-scale underground nuclear testing. We, the peacemakers of Hiroshima, cannot stand silently by as you seek to escalate your war-making to involve nuclear weapons.

On behalf of the people of Hiroshima, who have suffered the consequences of nuclear war, we vehemently protest. We demand that you put an end to subcritical testing, abandon your plan to resume underground nuclear testing, and begin genuinely working toward total nuclear disarmament.

Goro Kawai
Haruko Moritaki
Co-representatives
Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition

c/o Hiroshima Prefectural Federation of Consumers’ Co-operative Union
8-23 Kami Hatchobori, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0012 JAPAN
Phone: +81-82-502-3850
Fax: +81-82-502-3860

要旨：
「エノラ・ゲイ」は、第一次世界大戦から第二次世界大戦を経て、朝鮮戦争、ベトナム戦争、湾岸戦争、ユーゴ、アフガン、さらにはイラク戦争などひじょうに長い歴史にわたって人類が犯してきた無差別爆撃＝無差別大量虐殺（＝ホロコーストと並ぶ非道な制度）をもっとも強力に象徴する飛行機であり、こうした無差別爆撃には、その変型である「９・１１」も含まれている。「エノラ・ゲイ」は単に広島・長崎への原爆投下のみを意味するものではない。したがって、こうした歴史的背景を全く説明しない展示方法は、これまでの数々の無差別爆撃を正当化するだけではなく、将来の無差別爆撃をも是認してしまうことになる。「エノラ・ゲイ」は、平和と生命の喜びを求める我々の努力を促すものとして展示されるべきである。

What does “Enola Gay” symbolize?

“Suddenly

There was a brilliant white-hot flash.
Buildings crumbled,
Fire blazed,
Smoke swirled all around,
Wires dangled everywhere,
And a writhing mass of humanity fled for safety”

This passage from a poem by Hiroshima A-bomb victim, Sadako Kurihara,　graphically depicts the horror experienced not only by A-bomb victims, but　by all who have suffered air raid attacks. There is little warning of such　attacks beyond the sudden appearance of monstrous bombers overhead, emitting　ferocious noises, or the sharp, ear-piercing sound of on-coming missiles.
The reality of such attacks is all too often a litter of bodies blown to　pieces by the blast. Yet, the attackers, hundreds of meters in the air　above, have little sense of the horror down below. For the bombardiers and　pilots the people on the ground are simply “abstract” targets. By　contrast, the experience of their victims is “concrete” reality, reeking　of death. This sharp juxtaposition of abstract and concrete within a　distance of a few hundred meters is a phenomenon unique to aerial bombing.

The frequent use of aerial bombing in modern warfare surely owes something　to the attackers’ complete inability to imagine the terrifying experiences　of their victims.

The origin of aerial bombing can be traced to the application of hot-air　balloons in warfare in the late 18th century. Initially air balloons were　used simply to locate the size and position of enemy forces, but militarists　soon realized their potential for dropping grenades and other harmful　objects on enemy troops. However, the use of airplanes in the early 20th　century led to a drastic change in war strategy. One result was the wide　expansion of war zones; another was indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

The indiscriminate bombing of civilians was first conducted by German planes　against Parisians in August 1914 – 11 years after the Wright brothers　successfully flew the first aircraft in 1903. By the end of 1914, the Allies　were also making serial air raids into German territories. Thus, by the time　World War I ended in 1918, both sides had engaged in indiscriminate bombing,　killing or injuring several thousand civilians.

Shortly after World War I, planes from the British Royal Air Force (RAF)　were sent to the Middle East to engage in a new type of operation ? the　bombing of what an RAF document refers to as “rebels of uncivilized tribes”　who refused to submit to British rule. Over several years from 1920 onward,　the RAF attacked rebel groups in Iraq – for which Britain was the trustee　nation at the time – by dropping bombs, including incendiary bombs, on　remote villages and tent encampments. The same technique of indiscriminate　bombing was also used in other territories of the British Empire such as　India and South Africa. Yet, the British administrators recommended this use　of airpower as “outstandingly effective, extremely economical and　undoubtedly humane in the long run.”

In the European theater of World War II, indiscriminate bombing ? now termed　“strategic bombing” ? was increasingly used to terrorize civilians as the　war intensified. Civilians in major cities were victimized as both the Axis　and Allied sides engaged in such bombing, with mass slaughter as the result.
The Germans suffered particularly heavy casualties. By the end of the war,　131 German towns and cities had been bombed, and approximately 600,000　German civilians killed by indiscriminate bombing conducted by British and　US forces.

In the Asia Pacific region, the Japanese Imperial Navy first engaged in　indiscriminate bombing with a January 1932 attack on civilians in Shanghai　during the so-called Shanghai Incident. Thereafter, civilians in cities such　as Nanjing, Wuhan, and Chongqing were targeted. In 1940, after repeated　Japanese aerial attacks on Chongqing, the U.S. Government condemned Japan　for these inhumane acts of terror.

Yet, a few years later, when Japan was losing the war in the Pacific, cities　on the Japanese mainland became the targets of U.S. air raids. The U.S.　engaged in “saturation bombing” in a literal sense until the very end of the　war in August 1945, repeatedly attacking cities from Hokkaido to Okinawa,　including Tokyo, Kawasaki, Osaka, Kobe, Fukuoka and Naha. In total 64 major　cities were destroyed, causing over one million casualties, including half a　million deaths, the majority of whom were civilians.

Indiscriminate bombing reached its peak, however, when mass-killing atomic　weapons were used to annihilate two Japanese cities in August 1945. The　A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed between 70,000 and 80,000 people in one　second, and it is estimated that a total of 140,000 died by the end of 1945.
In Nagasaki, 70,000 people are believed to have died by the end of the same　year. The total death toll up to the present due to irradiation caused by　the bombing of Hiroshima is estimated at approximately 450,000. However, in　his announcement of the bombing, Truman said, “The world will note that the　first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was　because we wished in this first attack to avoid, in so far as possible, the　killing of civilians.” On the contrary, following Japan’s surrender, the
U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey stated: “The air attack on Japan was directed　against the nation as a whole, not only against specific military targets,　because of the contribution in numerous ways of the civilian population to　the fighting strength of the enemy, and to speed the securing of　unconditional surrender.” The political and military leaders of the U.S.　probably did not use A-bombs against Japan with the deliberate intention of　genocide. Yet, as a result of bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it became　clear that the use of nuclear arms thereafter would be undoubtedly　genocidal.

Since then, indiscriminate bombing has been repeatedly used in the Korean　War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, and more recent wars in Kosovo, Afghanistan and　Iraq. In the Korean War, U.S. forces bombed and destroyed two large　irrigation dams, causing enormous flood damage in North Korea. As a result,　North Korea’s agricultural economy was ruined. In the Vietnam War, in　addition to a new type of napalm bomb, cluster bombs (with a high failure　rate), daisy-cutter bombs (so-called earthquake bombs), and agent orange (a　type of chemical defoliant) were widely used. This new bombing strategy with　its new types of bombs resulted in long-term damage to the environment and　the people, bringing suffering and death to countless civilians well after　the actual bombing.

In recent aerial attacks conducted by the U.S. and British forces in　Afghanistan and Iraq, many civilians were again killed or injured as a　result of the bombing of “wrongly identified targets” by “incorrectly　programmed smart bombs,” or as “collateral damage.” No matter what military　jargon is used to justify attacking civilians, it is clearly indiscriminate　bombing in the eyes of the victims. Such bombing also creates huge numbers　of refugees, as seen in Afghanistan where thousands of people fled their　homes shortly before the onset of U.S. bombing. Eventually about 1 million　Afghan people ended up in refugee camps. Clearly, such aerial bombing, which　inflicts enormous hardship on vast numbers of civilians, is nothing short of　state terrorism.

The U.S. and the British Forces started using munitions, bombs and missiles　which contain depleted uranium in the Gulf. DU (Depleted Uranium) munitions　and bombs are mainly used as penetrators on tanks. DU missiles are fired to　destroy large buildings and bunkers deep under the ground. When exploded,　exposed depleted uranium disperses as dust-like particles in a burning cloud　of vapor. Settled dust is chemically poisonous and also radioactive. By the　end of the war, 290,000 kg of DU was dispersed in southern Iraq. Since then　many American and British soldiers have developed a strange illness known as　the Gulf War Syndrome and some of their children born after the war are also　suffering from physical deformities. In southern Iraq, deaths due to cancer　and leukemia have suddenly increased, particularly among children, in the　past several years. Many more Iraqi children are now suffering from　leukemia, various types of cancer as well as physical deformities. The link　between such phenomena and the use of DU is strongly suspected. High dosages　of radiation have been detected in some places in Afghanistan, indicating　that the U.S. and the British Forces used DU weapons there, too. It is said　that estimated between 1,000 and 2,000 tons of DU was used in the recent　Iraq War, which poses a grave concern to the health of Iraqi people.

Due to the widespread use of DU weapons since the Gulf War and the　increasing possibility that tactical nuclear arms may be used, as well as　the availability of super-large bombs like daisy-cutter bombs and mother　bombs, the distinction between conventional and nuclear weapons is rapidly　disappearing. The number of countries seeking to equip themselves with　weapons of mass destruction is increasing as nuclear powers like the U.S and　Britain attempt to subjugate so-called “rogue nations” by the use of　military might.

“The September 11 Attack” was unquestionably an act of terrorism as it　killed thousands of civilians indiscriminately. This act, perpetrated by an　al-Qaeda group can be seen as a variation on indiscriminate bombing where　civilian planes are used instead of bombers to complete the suicidal　mission. One can be certain that al-Qaeda would have used bombers if that　had been an option. Whether indiscriminate bombing is carried out by an　armed group or by the military forces of a particular nation, it is clearly　an act of terrorism from the viewpoint of the civilians who become its
targets.

As we have seen, therefore, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki typifies　two kinds of crimes against humanity ? indiscriminate bombing and mass　killing ? both of which are common phenomena in modern and contemporary　warfare as well as in terrorist acts such as the September 11 Attack. Thus,　Enola Gay, the plane that carried the atomic bombs dropped on civilians in　Hiroshima and Nagasaki, clearly symbolizes the long history of　indiscriminate bombing, a system of mass killing equivalent to the　holocaust. The exhibition of Enola Gay without any explanation of this　historical background will therefore justify these crimes against humanity　that we as mankind have been committing for more than a century in various　parts of the world. It will also endorse any future indiscriminate attack　and mass killing, whether it be one committed by military forces or by any　other violent organization. Instead, Enola Gay should be viewed as a　reminder of our commitment to strive for universal peace and joy of life.

Written by Yuki Tanaka on behalf of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear　Weapons Abolition (HANWA)

(さらに…)

A Solidarity Message from HANWA

September 11th, 2003

Dear David and other members of the Peaceful Tomorrows,

At this occasion of the second anniversary of the September Eleventh tragic
event in 2001, we, the members of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear
Weapons Abolition (HANWA), would like to express our renewed condolences to
the bereaved family members of the victims. We, as citizens of Hiroshima,
have been very much encouraged by your commitment to peace and non-violent
solution of terrorism. We deplore, therefore, the hasty and thoughtless
actions of violent retaliation conducted by the Bush administration which
destroyed more people in Afghanistan and Iraq. We admire and share with
your firm stand to oppose such wars of revenge which have created more
violent tragedies in the world. Joining countless peace-loving citizens of
the world, we firmly believe that without addressing the root-causes of
terrorism, however complex and ramified they are, no effort can solve the
problem.

We congratulate you also for the timely publication of the PEACEFUL
TOMORROWS’ NEW BOOK: TURNING OUR GRIEF INTO ACTION FOR PEACE. We
understand the book is already in the process of Japanese translation and
will be published from the renowned bookseller: Iwanami Shoten in Tokyo.
We also take note that you, David, are visiting Japan in late November by
the invitation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Society in Japan. Time
allowing, it is our sincere desire that you would also visit Hiroshima, the
original Ground Zero, and share your thought of non-violence with us.

Let us inform you that citizens of Hiroshima are holding a vigil on
September 10th and 11th in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome to commemorate the
second anniversary of the September Eleventh in order to express our
solidarity with you and confirm our commitment to world peace and
non-violent solution of terrorism and war. In particular, we condemn the
policy of nuclear deterrence followed by several states, for it is
inevitable to encourage other nations to go nuclear including North Korea.

Please rest assured that we, the members of HANWA, stand with you firmly to
promote the non-violent philosophy of the September 11th Families for the
Peaceful Tomorrows and we will be always ready to cooperate with you for
establishing a more just and peaceful world.

In solidarity and friendship,

Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA)
Directors: Mitsuo Okamoto, Goro Kawai, and Haruko Moritaki

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ＨＡＮＷＡからの連帯のメッセージ

2003年9月11日

Peaceful Tomorrowsの親愛なるデヴィッドと他のメンバー

2001年の9月１１日の悲惨な出来事の2回目の記念日のこの時に， 我々(核兵器を廃絶するヒロシマの会(HANWA)のメンバーは我々の更なる弔慰を犠牲者の遺族メンバーに言い表したい． 広島の市民として， 我々はあなたがたがテロに対する解決策を平和と非暴力にもとめたことでたいへん激励されました． したがって， 我々はブッシュの指揮のもとでおこなわれたアフガニスタンとイラクのより多くの人々を滅ぼした急いでいて軽はずみな乱暴な報復行為を嘆く． 我々は， そのようなより乱暴な世界の悲劇を引き起こした報復の戦争に反対するためにあなたが堅く守っている立場を感嘆し、共有する． 世界の無数の平和主義の市民に合流して， 我々は， それらがどんなに複雑で， 枝状に分けられても、テロの根原因を記述しないでは、どんな努力も問題を解決することができないと堅く信じる．

我々はあなた方のPEACEFUL TOMORROWSの新しい本 （我々の深い悲しみを平和のための行動に変えること）のタイムリーな公開を祝う． 我々は本が既に和訳の途中にあり、有名な東京の岩波書店から発行されるのを知っています。
また， 我々は11月の下旬にマーチン・ルーサー・キング， Jr．の日本社会への招待とともにあなた(デヴィッド)が訪問する予定であることに注目しています。時間が許せば， あなたがまた広島のオリジナルのGround Zero（グランド・ゼロ）を訪問して， 我々と自分の非暴力の考えを共有することが， 我々の心からの願望です．

我々核兵器廃絶ヒロシマの会が， あなたがたと我々の連帯意識を持ち， テロと戦争を世界平和と非暴力により解決することを確認し、原爆ドームの前で、9月10日のビジル（寝ずの守り）と9月１１日の2回目の記念日に記念していることをお知らせします． さらに我々は， いくつかの国家が核兵器を保持し続ける核抑止の方針を非難し、それがさらに北朝鮮を含む核兵器保持につながることを訴える．

我々(HANWAのメンバー)が、あなたや９・１１犠牲者の家族が非暴力の哲学で平和な明日（Peaceful Tomorrows）を求めるのと同じ立場にしっかりと立つので安息してください．そして， 我々は， これからもより正当で平和な世界を確立するためにいつもあなたがたと協力する準備ができています．

連帯意識と友情で

核兵器撤廃をめざすヒロシマの会(ＨＡＮＷＡ):
岡本三夫， 河合護郎、森滝春子

(さらに…)

みなさん。

　米ソ冷戦終結の結果、今や世界の世論は核兵器廃絶が主流となりつつあります。国際的な非政府組織（NGO）の核兵器廃絶運動にも弾みがついてきており、昨年秋には「核兵器廃絶地球市民長崎集会」が成功裏に開催されました。｢新アジェンダ連合｣という国家レベルの核兵器廃絶運動も核保有五大国と国連で対等に交渉し、日本政府の態度が注目されています。冷戦時代と違い、核兵器廃絶の実現は「あとヒト押し」というところまできています。しかし、他方では宇宙空間軍事化（NMD・TMD）など、歴史の時計の針を逆戻りさせようとする動きもあり、決して油断はできません。

　それだけに、被爆地広島・長崎の責任は重大です。今こそ、思想・信条の違いを越えて両市の市民がゆるやかに大きくつながり、被爆者の方々との連帯の上に、これまでに見られなかったような広範な人々に開かれた核兵器廃絶運動を展開すべき時が到来したのです。

すでに呼びかけ人になっているみなさんはもとより、共に広島から声を出そうと思われる方は私たちの運動にご参加くださいますようご案内いたします。

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核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会
Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition （HANWA)
【共同代表】 岡本三夫　河合護郎　森瀧春子
【事務局】
〒730-0802
広島市中区本川町二丁目6番11号 第7ウエノヤビル 5F
広島県生活協同組合連合会内
TEL ０８２－５３２－１３１１
FAX ０８２－２３２－８１００
Eメール　hanwa@e-hanwa.org
ホームページ　https://www.e-hanwa.org/
郵便振替
　「核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会」
　０１３００－２－５０８８９
年会費　2000円
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