Most A-bomb survivors dissatisfied with Japan's disarmament work

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OSAKA, July 31 Kyodo -
Nearly nine out of 10 atomic bomb survivors who visited New York on the
occasion of a U.N. conference in May reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty expressed dissatisfaction with Japan's efforts at nuclear disarmament,
according to a Kyodo News survey released Saturday.
Those who expressed concerns over whether their experience can be passed on to
future generations accounted for 95 percent, suggesting widespread frustration
among them about what they perceive as Japan's failure to carry out its
responsibility as the only nation to have suffered atomic bombing.
Meanwhile, 74 percent expressed high hopes for the vision of a nuclear-free
world advocated by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Kyodo sent questionnaires to 87 hibakusha who attended events in New York
during the conference, with responses obtained from 66 of them. Next Friday
marks the 65th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Of the respondents, 47 percent said the Japanese government has not been making
disarmament efforts, while 39 percent said it has not been doing so very much.
With the two groups combined, 86 percent expressed dissatisfaction with Japan's
disarmament efforts.
No one said Japan has been making considerable efforts on the matter, with 12
percent saying it has been making efforts ''to some degree.'' Two percent
withheld their judgments.
Asked what is required of Japan on the matter, in a multiple-answer question,
33 percent said the prime minister's will and action, followed by 22 percent
who cited encouragement of nuclear-weapons states and 16 percent who noted the
need for diplomatic efforts.
No Japanese leaders, including then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, attended the
review conference in May, prompting criticism and disappointment among the
survivors.
Of the respondents, only 2 percent said they had no worries about having their
bombing experience passed on to future generations, with 3 percent saying they
did not worry about it very much.
Many who were worried said it is important to promote peace education and
create records of their testimonies.
Eighty percent viewed positively the prospect of the world moving toward
nuclear eradication. But some said they observed a lack of interest in nuclear
issues during events in the United States.
The 66 respondents included one crew member of a Japanese tuna fishing boat
called the Fukuryu Maru No. 5, which was hit by radiation from a U.S. hydrogen
bomb test in the South Pacific in March 1954.
==Kyodo
2010-07-31 22:51:53