「核兵器のない平和で公正な世界を」をスローガンに、原水爆禁止2010年世界大会がまもなく、被爆地の広島・長崎で始まります。今年の世界大会は、核兵器廃絶に向けて重要な一歩を踏み出した5月の核不拡散条約（NPT)再検討会議の合意を受けて開かれます。2年前の原水爆禁止世界大会で提唱された国際署名「核兵器のない世界を」は700万筆を数え、これを受理した再検討会議議長は同会議初日、すべての参加国はこの市民社会の声に応えようと呼びかけました。今年の世界大会は、この前進のうえに、NPT合意の具体的実行を求め、ステップアップへの展望と運動方向を探究する場となります。内外注視の中で開かれるこの大会に、国民の皆さんがふるって参加されるよう、心から呼びかけます。

　 5月にニューヨークで開かれたNPT再検討会議は、核兵器廃絶に向けた「行動計画」に取り組むことを明記した合意文書を、核保有国を含む全会一致で採択しました。合意文書には、核兵器廃絶のための条約の検討など潘基文・国連事務総長の5項目提案に留意することも盛り込まれました。40年前、米英ソなど核保有国が核兵器独占のためにスタートさせたNPT体制が今日、核兵器廃絶を目標として確認し、そのための時間枠や核兵器廃絶条約の必要性をめぐって論議するに至ったことは、注目すべき歴史的な変化です。今後、核保有国を含むNPT参加国にはその具体的な実行が問われることになります。世界を核兵器廃絶へと突き動かしてきた、被爆者をはじめ日本の原水爆禁止運動の力を確信にして、核保有国にNPT合意の具体的な実行と核兵器廃絶条約の交渉開始の決断を迫る世論を、さらに大きく広げようではありませんか。

　「核兵器のない世界」を求める声が世界の大勢となるなか、被爆国日本の役割発揮がいまほど強く求められているときはありません。しかし日本政府は、「核兵器廃絶の先頭に立つ」と国際社会に宣言しながら、今回のNPT会議でも積極的な役割は果たしませんでした。この消極的姿勢の根っこに「日米同盟」最優先、「核の傘＝核抑止力」依存政策があることは明白です。「核密約」公表・破棄の公約についても、履行する姿勢はまったく見られません。日本政府はいまこそ、「核の傘」から脱却し、「核密約」を破棄して、「非核3原則」の厳格な実行をはじめ、非核の日本の実現へ舵をきるべきです。

　原爆症認定集団訴訟はこの１年、訴訟の早期一括解決に向けて原告側と政府との間で合意が成立し、原告全員救済の基金法も制定されました。これらは、被害の実態に即した被爆者援護を求めてきた被爆者と、支援を続けた非核・平和運動の画期的な成果です。しかし、同法制定後、原爆症の認定申請の多くが却下されています。被爆者は高齢です。政府が被爆者救済の立場に立った認定行政を速やかに実施するよう、被爆者支援の輪をさらに広げようではありませんか。

　広島・長崎への原爆投下から65年。「私たちの生きているうちに核兵器をなくしてほしい」――この被爆者の悲願成就への光明がはっきりと見え始めた情勢の下、世界で唯一核兵器使用による惨禍を体験した国として、「核兵器廃絶条約の国際交渉の開始ただちに」のメッセージを世界にさらに大きく発信していこうではありませんか。今年の原水爆禁止世界大会に共に集い、核兵器も戦争もない平和な世界の確立に向けて意気高く前進しようではありませんか。



【英文】

Association for a Non-Nuclear Government
#401, 33 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160-0016, Japan
Tel.03-5367-5513 Fax.03-3225-0920
July 2010

Call for a Successful Holding of the 2010 World Conference against A & H Bombs

The 2010 World Conference against A & H Bombs will shortly start in Hiroshima and Nagasaki under the slogan: “For a Nuclear Weapon-free, Peace and Just World”. It comes after the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May adopted an agreement marking an important step forward toward abolishing nuclear weapons. The international signature campaign initiated by the World Conference two years ago for a “world without nuclear weapons” collected more than 7,000,000 signatures. The president of the NPT Review Conference accepted these signatures on the first day of the Review Conference and called for all countries participating in the NPT to respond to the signatures bearing the earnest call of civil society. With this advance in the NPT Review Conference as springboard, this year’s World Conference will explore concrete prospects and course of action to ensure that the Review Conference agreement will be implemented. We sincerely call on the public to take active part in the World Conference, which will be held in response to the growing interest of people at home and abroad.

The NPT Review Conference in May in New York adopted a document of unanimous agreement to work to draw up an action plan toward abolishing nuclear weapons. The agreement took note of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s “Five-Point Proposal,” which includes a call on all parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, especially the nuclear-weapon states, to fulfill its requirement to enter into negotiations on nuclear disarmament, which could focus on either a convention or framework of agreements banning nuclear-weapons. The NPT regime was launched 40 years ago by the nuclear powers, in particular the United States, Britain and the then Soviet Union. An historic change is taking place today regarding the NPT regime. Parties to the NPT have confirmed that the elimination of nuclear weapons should be what the NPT regime is about and discussed the need to establish a time frame for the goal and conclude an international convention for totally eliminating nuclear weapons. All countries participating in the NPT, including nuclear-weapon states, are called upon to take practical steps to achieve this goal.

The Japanese Movement against A & H Bombs as well as the movement of atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) has contributed to pushing the world to move toward abolishing nuclear weapons. We call on the public to take this fact as conviction and raise voices urging the nuclear weapons possessing countries to implement the agreement reached at the NPT Review Conference and agree to begin negotiating the abolition of nuclear weapons.

At a time when calls for achieving a “world without nuclear weapons” are spreading throughout the world, Japan is called upon more than ever to play its part as the only country to have suffered nuclear attack. However, the Japanese government failed to play an active role in the recent NPT Review Conference despite its international commitment to exercise leadership and participate proactively in the effort to abolish nuclear weapons. Japan’s passiveness in tackling the issue is fundamentally due to its policy that puts the alliance with the United States before anything else as well as its dependence on the US nuclear umbrella and acceptance of the doctrine of nuclear deterrence. The Japanese government shows complete reluctance to put into practice its pledge to make public and abrogate the secret nuclear agreements with the United States. It should immediately break away from the “nuclear umbrella,” abrogate the secret nuclear agreements with the United States, and implement strictly the “Three Non-nuclear Principles” in order to make the country nuclear weapons-free.

In the Hibakusha’s concerted lawsuits during the past year to demand that the government recognize Hibakusha’s diseases as caused by their exposure to atomic bomb radiation, the government agreed with the plaintiffs on a package settlement. A law to establish a fund for the relief of all plaintiffs was enacted. These are a milestone achieved by the Hibakusha’s movement to demand that aid be extended to Hibakusha in accordance with the actual state of suffering and by the support from the movement calling for a Japan and a world free of nuclear weapons. However, even after the enactment of the aid law, the government has rejected many of Hibakusha’s applications for recognition of their illnesses as being caused by atomic bomb radiation exposure. Hibakusha are aging. Let us increase our support for the Hibakusha’s demand that the government swiftly take administrative measures to recognize their suffering as being caused by atomic bomb radiation exposure.

Sixty-five years have passed since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Hibakusha’s earnest wish is that the world becomes free of nuclear weapons in their lifetime. Now that we see a ray of hope in this direction, we should send to the world our message calling for international negotiations to be started immediately for concluding an international convention banning nuclear weapons. Doing so is a duty of the only country to have suffered the ravage caused by the use of nuclear weapons. Let us meet at the 2010 World Conference against A & H Bombs to make a fresh start toward turning the world into a place without nuclear weapons and war.