A-bomb survivors speak of dangers of a nuclear Japan

Sunday 06th September, 03:38 PM JST

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15 Comments

stipend at 08:21 PM JST - 6th September

Nice that Peace Boat is referred to more accurately here as an NGO, and not an NPO. Grace Japan is private company & operates PB for profit as far as I've been able to surmise. It's all hidden. And what is their efficiency? As a quick metric you'd save tons of CO2 flying people in for a conference, instead of pompously puffing endless rings of smoke around the earth all the while telling people things like -save the planet!
Disillusioned at 08:25 PM JST - 6th September

As much as this is a good thing, the story is still written as if Japan was the victim. In a way I suppose they were. A victim of their own stupidity.
tclh at 09:04 PM JST - 6th September

I do not know if and when in the future , Mrs Osaki will regret about non nuclear Japan. Human history shows times and times again that even you do not wish to harm anyone, it does not stop somebody just go ahead and harm you... unless you have something to defend yourself ofcourse.
Klein2 at 09:14 PM JST - 6th September

Peace. Oh how elusive it is. Even if you practice peace and encourage others, there will always be someone willing to use whatever pretense necessary, even ancient history, to stir up hatred. Then hatred begets the slippery slope to armaments and war.

Haters will cling to history even when present realities are staring them in the face.
womanforwomen at 09:32 PM JST - 6th September

You are right on Klein. The word Peace in today's context means a way to make money. How many peacekeeping forces, Co-chairs attempted to bring peace in different countries. Nothing ever changed. Nothing will ever change in South East Asia- it is the haven for arms dealers and suppliers.
stipend at 09:44 PM JST - 6th September

Their next stop is Singapore where 5000 (confirmed) Chinese civilians were slaughtered by Japanese. Nikkei Weekly reports Class B/C war crimes docs. are only now being released in Japan. Perhaps PB can carry along a few veterans of that massacre to visit the memorial and speak of peace -before they're all gone.

Best off is they should moor the "love boat" permanently in Tokyo Bay, open a restaurant, run conferences and symposiums before heading off to poorer nations to talk about "sustainability".
stipend at 09:52 PM JST - 6th September

Nothing ever changed. Nothing will ever change in South East Asia- it is the haven for arms dealers and suppliers.

The world around us is changing. Why not be a part of it?
Midnightpromise at 12:24 AM JST - 7th September

‘‘Knowing how horrible and inhumane nuclear wars are, we appeal to world powers to stop using nuclear weapons, that is the motive for us to join this voyage,’’ said the 69-year-old atomic bomb survivor

Would it be safe to say then that he thinks conventional warfare is A-OK?
OssanAmerica at 12:48 AM JST - 7th September

The threatr of nuclear war affects everyone on this planet. It's not a "Japanese as victims thing" as much as the J-haters would like it to be. This is why nearly all countries send reprsentatives to the Hiroshima memorial event. This is also why MAD resulted in aq 50 year tense peace betwewn the US and USSR. Comments about Nanjing are ridiculous and makes me wonder what would hae happened if MacArthur had gotten the go-ahead to drop 4 atomic bombs on Chinewse cities. Personally I think these anti-nuke organizations areall barking up the wrong tree in that the major powers with nuclewar weapons all maintain them as a deterrrence and noboy is going to use them. The real fear are the rigue states like Iran and NKorea and terrorist organizations, which these abti-nukers don't address at all. Not to mention that the "we are the only counytry to have beemn niked" Japan's position is utter hypocrisy since they sit smugly protected by the US Nuclear Umbrella. Ultimately, if Japam went nuclear nothing will really change, nobody will care, except the anti-nukers in Japan.
MeanRingo at 02:25 AM JST - 7th September

The real problem with a nuclear Japan is that they would probably have some 80-year-old security ojisan guarding their arsenals and nuclear secrets.
OssanAmerica at 06:31 AM JST - 7th September

The whole anti-nuke movement in Japan as far as Japan itself not going nuclear is typical of the Japanese get-all-bent-out-of-shape over nothing scenario. Japan has neither the desire nor capability to become a "superpower". So then, just how have nuclear states like Britain or France suffered because they have nuclear weapons? How has even India and Pakistan suffered? In the former case, neither Britain nor France increased their odds of being attacked. In the latter case it's highly arguable that there has been and will continue to be peace between India and Pakistan BECAUSE of their nuclear weapons. Conclusion..it won't make any real difference. Except that Japan will no longer have to rely on the US nuclear umbrella.
kumasan1969 at 07:05 AM JST - 7th September

Japan was not a victim, but the people of Hiroshima/Nagasaki were. Victims of stupidity of a government who thinks it can do any brutal thing to the citizens of its enemies.
OssanAmerica at 07:27 AM JST - 7th September

Victims of stupidity of a government who thinks it can do any brutal >thing to the citizens of its enemies.

It wasn't so kind to it's own citizens either. Not even it's own soldiers.
Farmboy at 08:35 AM JST - 7th September

Ultimately, if Japam went nuclear nothing will really change, nobody will care, except the anti-nukers in Japan.

I have to disagree with this. Put yourselves in China's shoes. They will probably be one of the world's leaders for the next fifty years or so at least. Do you think they will stand by while Japan becomes a nuclear power? I don't.

There is a big difference between a few US nuclear-armed ships and an entire country with Japan's history in the region being armed with nukes.
zoLev at 02:18 PM JST - 7th September

Eap! It's so terrible! When I was a little boy, I saw a foreign cartoon film about A-bombering in Japan, and it was a impress on my mind... By the way, perhaps, anybody known about it cartoon? What it's name? I can't to find it.