KAKUJOHO (Nuclear Information)

2016. 9. 5

One sentence letter to Prime Minister Abe: Don't oppose No-First-Use

International open letter to call on the Japanese government not to oppose a No-First-Use policy by the United States (resent from Nagasaki on August 9) — A call to the governor and the mayor of Nagasaki was also sent on the same day.

1) Call to the Prime Minister

President Obama is reported to be considering declaration of a "no-first-use policy" promising not to use nuclear weapons first as one of the steps toward a world without nuclear weapons. In response to news reporting that Japanese government officials are opposing such a policy, International Open Letter Calling on the Japanese Government Not to Object to a US Nuclear Weapons No First Use Policy was resent to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on August 9 from the city of Nagasaki on the 71st anniversary of the bombing of the city (with the names of the signers received after August 6, when the original letter was sent from the city of Hiroshima, added).

The letter consists of one sentence, which says:

Dear Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,

Please do not oppose a US pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

Total number of signers 120: (17 countries + international organizations)


2) Call to the governor and mayor of Nagasaki

On August 8, 2016 a letter was sent to Hodo Nakamura, Governor, Nagasaki Prefecture and Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki City by three overseas participants in meetings to commemorate the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki asking for their help on the issue of No-First-Use and Japan's program to separate plutonium, the very material that destroyed the city of Nagasaki.

Request:

  1. Please urge the Japanese government to support a no first use policy by the US.
  2. Please urge the government not to open the Rokkasho reprocessing plant to separate any more WEAPON-USABLE plutonium, the very material that destroyed the city of Nagasaki 71 years ago.

Signers:

Tom Clements
Director, Savannah River Site Watch, Columbia, South Carolina
Jon Rainwater
Executive Director, Peace Action
Kwanghoon Seok
Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Consumer Studies, Ewha Womens University, Seoul, South Korea,
Steering committee member, Korea NGOs' Energy Network

Background information:

On July 27, Union of Concerned Scientists release an open letter "A Call for Japan to Support a US No-First-Use Policy"(pdf) signed by 10 scientists, former government officials, and leaders of peace organizations, saying:

"President Obama is reported to be considering changes to US policy to reduce the chance that nuclear weapons will be used, and to move the world further along the path to eliminating them. One possibility is that he will declare that the United States will not be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict and that the sole purpose of US nuclear weapons is to deter, and if necessary respond to, the use of nuclear weapons by others...A recent Japanese press report stated that some officials in the Abe government strongly oppose such a policy change.　1"

1"Japan seeks talks with U.S. over 'no first use' nuclear policy change," The Japan Times, July 15, 2016.

On the same day Japan Congress against A-and H-Bombs (GENSUIKIN), Citizens' Nuclear Information Center (CNIC), and Kakujoho (nuclear information) website sent a similar letter together with the US group open letter to the government of Japan calling on Japan:

  1. To declare that Japan will never have nuclear weapons even if the US adopts NFU policy.
  2. To support the policies to reduce the role of nuclear weapons that are reported to be under consideration by the Obama administration, including NFU among others.
  3. If the above two cannot be done, to explain clearly to the Japanese population and the rest of the world in what scenarios Japan would like the US to use nuclear weapons first and initiate a nuclear war.

Similar attempts were made last year:




International Open Letter Calling on the Japanese Government Not to Object to a US Nuclear Weapons No First Use Policy

(Resent from Nagasaki with additional signers)

日本政府に米国の核兵器先制不使用政策に反対しないよう求める国際公開書簡

(長崎にて署名者追加再送)

9 August, 2016

Dear Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,

Please do not oppose a US pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

2016年8月9日

内閣総理大臣　安倍晋三様

紛争において最初に核兵器を使うことはしないと米国が約束することに反対しないで下さい。

Signed(署名):

●International
　
Colin Archer
Secretary General, International Peace Bureau
Tilman Ruff
Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Aaron Tovish
Director, "Cities are not targets!" Project Executive Adviser, Mayors for Peace
Reiner Braun
Co-President, International Peace Bureau
Michel MONOD
UN representative of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.
●USA
　
Ambassador (ret) Thomas Graham Jr
Executive Chairman Lightbridge Corporation.
Frank von Hippel
Senior Research Physicist
Professor of Public and International Affairs emeritus, Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University
Gregory Kulacki, Ph.D.
Senior Analyst & China Project Manager, Global Security Program Union of Concerned Scientists
M. V. Ramana
Nuclear Futures Laboratory & Program on Science and Global Security Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Zia Mian
Co-Director, Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University
Jungmin Kang
Research Fellow, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC
Daryl G. Kimball
Executive Director, Arms Control Association
Kevin Martin
President, Peace Action
Jon Rainwater
Executive Director, Peace Action
Marylia Kelley
Executive Director, Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
Lisbeth Gronlund
Senior Scientist and Co-Director, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
David Wright
Senior Scientist and Co-Director, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
Tom Z Collina
Director of Policy, Ploughshares Fund
Hans M. Kristensen
Federation of American Scientists
Joseph Gerson (PhD),
American Friends Service Committee
David Krieger
President, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Robert Alvarez
Senior Scholar, Institute for Policy Studies
Peter Kuznick
Professor of History and Director Nuclear Studies Institute American University
Morton H Halperin
Director, Policy Planning, Department of State, United States (1998-2001)
Megan Amundson,
Executive Director, Women’s Action for New Directions
David Culp
Legislative Representative
Friends Committee on National Legislation
James E. Doyle PhD.
Independent Nuclear Security Specialist
Bruce D. Larkin
Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of California at Santa Cruz Author of the book Designing Denuclearization
Lawrence Wittner,
Co-chair, national board, Peace Action
Jeffrey Lewis
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Ralph Hutchison
Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance
Daniel Ellsberg
Right Livelihood Laureate 2006, Senior Fellow Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (Former State and Defense Department official; released the Pentagon Papers)
Tom Clements
Director, Savannah River Site Watch, Columbia, South Carolina
Ann-elise Lewallen,
Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies University of California, Santa Barbara
Cletus Stein
The Peace Farm, Amarillo TX
Kevin Kamps,
Radioactive Waste Specialist, Beyond Nuclear
Ms Bobbie Paul
　
Atlanta Grandmothers for Peace
Joni Arends, Executive Director
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Santa Fe, NM
●China
　
Li Bin,
Professor of Tsinghua University and senior associate of Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.
●United Kingdom
　
Sujay Basu,
Member, Central Committee, Nuclear Free Zone Local Authorities
●India
　
Achin Vanaik
Retired Professor of International Relations and Global Politics, University of Delhi
Anand Patwardhan
Documentary filmmaker, India
Ramamurti Rajaraman
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Sukla Sen
EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai, India
Prem Prakash Verma
Convenor, Jharkhand Nagrik Prayas, Jharkhand Alternative Development Forum, Ranchi, Jharkhand,
●Pakistan
　
Abdul Hameed Nayyar
President, Pakistan Peace Coalition, Islamabad.
Pervez Hoodbhoy
Professor of Nuclear Physics
Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
●Israel
　
Dr Ruchama Marton
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), Right Livelihood Laureate 2010
●Australia
　
Peter Hayes
Honorary Professor, Sydney University, Director Nautilus Institute
Gareth Evans
former Foreign Minister
Chancellor, Australian National University
Philip White (PhD)
Friends of the Earth Adelaide
Dr Margaret Beavis
President, Medical Association for Prevention of War, Australia Health Professionals Promoting Peace
Dr Bill Williams President
ICAN-Australia
Felicity Ruby
PhD Candidate, Sydney University
●Argentina
　
Dr. Raul A. Montenegro,
Prof. Biologo, Nuclear Free Future Award 1998 (Salzburg, Austria)
●Brazil
　
Chico Whitaker,
Right Livelihood Award 2006
●Canada
　
Janis Alton
Co-Chair, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
Ray Egerton
FRSC, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Alberta, Phyllis Creighton, Canadian Pugwash Group
Peggy Mason,
President of the Rideau Institute, Ottawa, Ontario
Former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament to the UN
●Germany
　
Holger Gussefeld,
Special Projects Manager, World Future Council
●Hungary
　
Janos Vargha
Environmentalist and photographer, Right Livelihood Laurate 1985
●Malaysia
　
Anwar Fazal
Director, Right Livelihood College, Malaysia, RLA 1982
●New Zealand
　
Alyn Ware,
Member World Future Council, Right Livelihood Award Laureate (2009)
Dr Dale Hunter
Peace Foundation NZ Councillor
Graham Kelly
Member of the Peace Foundation disarmament Committee,
Lyndon Burford
PhD Candidate in International Relations, University of Auckland
●Norway
　
Fredrik S. Heffermehl
Lawyer and author
Mai-Bente Bonnevie
Artist
●South Africa
　
Prof Joelien Pretorius
University of the Western Cape, Pugwash South Africa
●Japan
　
藤本泰成
Yasunari Fujimoto
原水爆禁止日本国民会議事務局長
Secretary General, Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (GENSUIKIN)
伴英幸
Hideyuki Ban
原子力資料情報室共同代表
Co-director, Citizens' Nuclear Information Center (CNIC)
鈴木達治朗
Dr. Tatsujiro Suzuki
パグウォッシュ会議評議会
長崎大学核兵器廃絶研究センター(RECNA)長
Council member of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs,
Director, RECNA, Nagasaki University
小沼通二
Michiji KONUMA
慶應義塾大学
Keio University
高原孝生
Takao Takahara,
明治学院大学
Meiji Gakuin University
坂東昌子
Masako Bando
大阪大学核物理研究センター
愛知大学名誉教授
Research Center for Nuclear Physics Osaka University
Prof. Emeritus, University Aichi
佐々木猛也
Takeya Sasaki
日本反核法律家協会会長(兼 IALANA 共同会長)
president of Japan Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (JALANA) and co-president of International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA)
森瀧春子
Haruko Moritaki
核兵器廃絶をめざすヒロシマの会共同代表
Co-chair, HIROSHIMA ALLIANCE FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABOLITION (HANWA)
金子哲夫
Tetsuo Kaneko
広島選出元衆議院議員
Former member of the House of Representative from a Hiroshima District
川崎哲
Akira Kawasaki
ピースボート共同代表
Executive Committee member, Peace Boat
田巻一彦
Kazuhiko Tamaki
ピースデポ代表
President, Peace Depot Inc. Japan
山口大輔
Daisuke Yamaguchi
ピースデポ研究員
Researcher, Peace Depot Inc.
荒井摂子
Setsuko Arai
ピースデポ事務局長
Secretary General, Peace Depot Inc.
中村佳子
Keiko Nakamura
長崎大学核兵器廃絶研究センター(RECNA) 准教授
Associate Professor, Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University ( RECNA)
鎌田慧
Satoshi Kamata
ルポライター
Documentary writer
佐高信
Makoto Sataka
評論家
Critic
高田健
Ken Takada
許すな!憲法改悪・市民連絡会
Citizen's Liaison Against the Revise of the Constitution for the Worse
山口二郎
Jiro Yamaguchi
法政大学法学部教授
Professor, Law Department, Hosei University
渡辺美奈
Mina Watanabe
アクティブ・ミュージアム「女たちの戦争と平和資料館」事務局長
Secretary General, Women's Active Museum on War and Peace (WAM)
中野晃一
Koichi Nakano
上智大学国際教養学部教授
Professor of Political Science, Sophia University
菅原文子
Fumiko Sugawara
辺野古基金共同代表
Co-representative, Henoko Fund
内田雅敏
Masatoshi Uchida
弁護士
Lawyer
米本昌平
Yonemoto, Shohei
東京大学 教養教育高度化機構 客員教授
Visiting professor, Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence (KOMEX), University of Tokyo
大木昌
Oki, Akira
明治学院大学 名誉教授
Emeritus Professor, Meiji Gakuin University
上杉 聰
Satoshi Uesugi
元大阪市立大学教授
Retired Professor, Osaka City University
清水雅彦
Masahiko Shimizu
日本体育大学教授
Professor, Nippon Sport Science University
高良鉄美
Tetsumi Takara
琉球大学教授
Professor, University of the Ryukyus
石坂浩一
Koichi Ishizaka
立教大学准教授
Associate Professor, Rikkyo University
土山秀夫
Hideo Tsuchiyama
元長崎大学学長
Former president, Nagasaki University
朝長万左男
Masao Tomonaga
核兵器廃絶地球市民長崎集会実行委員会実行委員長
Chairman, Organizing Committee, Nagasaki Global Citizens’ Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
川野浩一
Koichi Kawano
長崎県平和運動センター被爆者連絡協議会議長
Chair, Liaison Council of Hibakusha, Nagasaki Peace Movement Center
井原東洋一
Toyoichi Ihara
長崎県被爆者手帳友の会会長
President, Society of Hibakusha Certificate Holders of Nagasaki Prefecture
丸尾育朗
Ikuro Maruo
長崎県被爆二世の会会長
President, Society of Second Generation Hibakusha, Nagasaki Prefecture
平野伸人
Nobuto Hirano
全国被爆二世団体連絡協議会特別顧問
Special Advisor, National Liaison Council of Second Generation Hibakusha Organizations
舟越耿一
Koichi Funakoe
長崎大学名誉教授
Professor Emeritus, Nagasaki University
松田圭治
Keiji Matsuda
原水爆禁止長崎県民会議会長
President, Nagasaki Prefectural Council Against A- and H-Bombs
熊江雅子
Noriko Kumae
平和を守るながさき女たちの会代表
President, Women's Group to Protect Peace
今川正美
Masami Imagawa
元衆議院議員
Former Member of the House of Representatives
吉村庄二
Shoji Yoshimura
長崎県議会議員
Member, Nagasaki Prefectural Council
坂本 浩
Hiroshi Sakamoto
長崎県議会議員
Member, Nagasaki Prefectural Council　(from Nagasaki Prefecture)
落合恵子
Keiko Ochiai
作家
Author
坪井直
Sunao Tsuboi
広島県原爆被害者団体協議会 理事長
Chairman of the Board, Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-Bomb Sufferers Organizations
秋葉忠利
Tadatoshi Akiba
広島原水禁 代表委員(前広島市長)
Representative, Hiroshima GENSUIKIN (former Mayor of Hiroshima)
福山真劫
Shingo Fukuyama
フォーラム平和人権環境
Peace Forum
山内敏弘
Toshihiro Yamanouchi
一橋大学名誉教授
Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University
古今亭菊千代
Kokontei Kikuchiyo
噺家
Traditional comic story teller
山口響
Hibiki Yamaguchi
(長崎の証言の会)
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Testimonial Society
山中悦子
Etsuko Yamanaka
(ピースデポ理事)
Director, Peace Deopot Inc.
佐藤 治
Osamu Sato
ピースデポ理事
Director, Peace Deopot Inc.
田窪雅文
Masa Takubo
ウエブサイト核情報主宰
Director, Kakujoho [Nuclear Information] Website




27 July 2016

TO:
Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan
Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Gen Nakatani, Minister of Defense

Call for Japan to support a US no-first-use policy and to clarify that Japan would not develop nuclear weapons if the US adopts such a policy.

President Obama is reported to be considering declaration of a “no-first-use policy” promising not to use nuclear weapons first as one of the steps toward a world without nuclear weapons. In other words, this will be a declaration that the sole purpose of the nuclear weapons will be to deter or, if necessary, respond to a nuclear attack.

In response to news reporting that Japanese government officials are opposing such a policy, the attached open letter from members of peace and disarmament groups and experts in the US calling for Japan to support a US no-first-use policy was just released.

As background, the Japanese government has, up until now, expressed opposition to the US declaring a no-first-use policy. The following are examples of quotes from politicians and bureaucrats on this subject:

"Nuclear deterrence and nuclear retaliation are not limited to a nuclear attack on our country"

  • Yoshifumi Matsuda, Deputy Director General, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 June 1982, Upper House Budget Committee.

"In today's real international society, where a large military power including weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear weapons exist, we consider it difficult to fully ensure our country's national security by relying on the concept of no-first-use where there are no means to verify the intention of the nations involved "

  • Masahiko Komura, Foreign Minister, 6 August 1999, Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"If no-first-use is declared, the strength of deterrence will be seriously weakened. We have strong concerns whether Japan's security could be maintained or not...Even if the US and Japan promised no-first-use, there still would remain the question whether or not other countries would keep their no-first-use promises"

  • Yasunari Morino, Principal Deputy Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 5 August 1998, spoken at a Hiroshima bombing commemoration event.

When other countries contemplate attacking Japan with a nuclear weapon this would be deterred by the threat of the possible nuclear retaliation by the US. –Is this not the understanding of the majority of Japanese people about the nuclear umbrella, i.e. extended nuclear deterrence? In what kind of scenario does the Japanese government, which claims this is inadequate, want the US to be the first to use nuclear weapons?

The reason why Japan's opposition to the no-first-use policy is important is that there are fears among some in the US government that if Japanese opposition is ignored, this anxiety may lead Japan to develop their own nuclear weapons.

When former Special Representative of the President for Arms Control, Non-Proliferation, and Disarmament Thomas Graham visited Japan in August 1997, he spoke about concerns in Washington that Japan and Germany would develop their own nuclear weapons from anxiety that their security would no longer be guaranteed if the US declared a no-first-use policy and that this was an obstacle to moves in the US towards making this declaration. Morton H Halperin, former director of the Policy Planning Staff at the Department of State, who has signed the above mentioned open letter, was accompanying Graham at the time. Halperin expressed a similar understanding.

William Perry, former Secretary of Defense, who claims that the threat of retaliation with conventional weapons would be adequate enough to deter the level of the nuclear capability of North Korea, made the following comment on 6 May 2009 at a House Armed Services Committee hearing for the final report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, of which he was Chair:

"(There is) great concern in both Europe and in Asia about the credibility of our extended deterrence…. It is important for us to pay attention to their concern and not try to judge whether deterrence is effective by our standard, but we have to take their standards into account as well. And a failure to do this…would be that those nations would feel that they had to provide their own deterrence. They would have to build their own nuclear weapons"

The Deputy Chair of this Committee, James Schlesinger (a former Secretary of Defense) made an even clearer warning:

"Of the 30 or so countries under the American nuclear umbrella, Japan is the country with the highest possibility of developing their own nuclear war capabilities. It is essential that we have close consultation with Japan."*1

When Japan urged world leaders to visit atomic ground zero, as part of a UN resolution last year, or when Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida accompanied Secretary of State Kerry visiting the Hiroshima Peace Park , or when Prime Minister Abe accompanied President Obama visiting Hiroshima , did the Japanese government wish to emphasize its position opposing no-first-use policy?

In the letter we sent to President Obama on July 13th of last year requesting him to visit the atomic-bombed cities, we promised that:

"We will call on the Japanese Government to refrain from opposing any policies you may announce in Hiroshima, Nagasaki or elsewhere toward a world without nuclear weapons, including adoption of a sole-purpose policy-- that the sole purpose of U.S. nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack on the United States and its allies--as a first step by the United States."*2

In order to accelerate the move towards a world without nuclear weapons, we urge you:

  1. To declare that Japan will never have nuclear weapons even if the US adopts a no-first-use policy.
  2. To support the policies to reduce the role of nuclear weapons that are reported to be under consideration by the Obama administration, including a no-first-use policy among others.
  3. If the above two cannot be done, to explain clearly to the Japanese population and the rest of the world in what scenarios Japan would like the US to use nuclear weapons first and initiate a nuclear war.

Signed:

Hideyuki Ban, Co-Director, Citizens' Nuclear Information Center
Yasunari Fujimoto, Secretary General, Japan Congress against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin)
Masafumi Takubo, Operator, Kakujoho Website

*1 https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2009_11/Takubo
*2 http://kakujoho.net/npt/lttr_obma.html (July 2015)

August 8, 2016

Hōdō Nakamura, Governor, Nagasaki Prefecture

Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki City

Dear Governor Nakamura and Mayor Taue,

We appreciate your tireless work for a world without nuclear weapons

We, participants at meetings to commemorate the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would like to ask for your help in influencing the Japanese government with regard to two important nuclear weapons related issues for Japan.

  • Please urge the Japanese government to support a no first use policy by the US.

President Obama is reported to be considering declaration of a “no-first-use policy” promising not to use nuclear weapons first as one of the steps toward a world without nuclear weapons. In response to news reporting that Japanese government officials are opposing such a policy out of a fear of a weakening deterrence for Japan, Hibakusha and experts around the world sent a one sentence letter on August 6th from Hiroshima to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying: "Please do not oppose a US pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict." We will be sending the same letter with some more signatories on August 9th from Nagasaki.

The following from the recent letter sent by ten US senators to the president addresses the issue of weakening of deterrence: "In light of our unmatched conventional military capabilities, we do not need to rely on the threat of nuclear first-use to deter non-nuclear attacks on our homeland or our allies"

The reason why Japan's opposition to the no-first-use policy is important is that there are fears among some in the US government that if Japanese opposition is ignored, this anxiety may lead Japan to develop their own nuclear weapons. It would be very tragic if Japan's opposition to no-first-use policy prevents the US from declaring such a policy because of the fear about Japan possessing its own nuclear weapons.

  • Please urge the government not to open the Rokkasho reprocessing plant to separate any more WEAPON-USABLE plutonium, the very material that destroyed the city of Nagasaki 71 years ago.

Japan is the only country not possessing nuclear weapons that is actively pursuing a domestic reprocessing program.

Japan has already accumulated about 48 tons of plutonium, equivalent to about 6,000 bombs using the International Atomic Energy Agency formula of 8kg per bomb. There is simply no need for Japan to reprocess commercial spent fuel as it will only add to the plutonium stockpile, which has caused increasing concern by US government officials. Further, termination of Japan’s reprocessing program will set a good nuclear non-proliferation example and help stop a plutonium stockpiling race from developing in the North East Asia.

The US is struggling with the daunting task to dispose of 34 tons of surplus military plutonium. As the project to construct a plutonium fuel (MOX) plant is proving not to be financially viable and is facing daunting design and construction problems, the US Department of Energy aims to terminate the MOX project.

Japan and the US should set an example and work together to develop better methods of disposing of plutonium as nuclear waste instead of separating more or introducing plutonium into commerce via MOX fuel. These non-proliferation measures will help make the world safer from the threat of the spread of nuclear weapons materials and would be a significant contribution toward a world without nuclear weapons.

With our best wishes,

Tom Clements
Director, Savannah River Site Watch, Columbia, South Carolina

Jon Rainwater
Executive Director, Peace Action

Kwanghoon Seok
Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Consumer Studies, Ewha Womens University, Seoul, South Korea,
Steering committee member, Korea NGOs’ Energy Network

July 13, 2015

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
Washington DC 20500
United States of America

Dear Mr. President,

We support the request in the attached letter by influential U.S. groups for you to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and utilize this opportunity to “remind the world that nuclear weapons must never again be used,” and to “announce concrete steps the United States will take before you leave office to reduce the risks that nuclear weapons continue to pose to humanity.”

We will call on the Japanese Government to refrain from opposing any policies you may announce in Hiroshima, Nagasaki or elsewhere toward a world without nuclear weapons, including adoption of a sole-purpose policy-- that the sole purpose of U.S. nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack on the United States and its allies--as a first step by the United States.

We also urge you to:

  1. Call on countries around the world to refrain from accumulating any more highly-enriched uranium or plutonium, as you did in your March 2014 Hague joint statement with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, recalling your remarks in Prague in April 2009, and
  2. Initiate a program to work together with the Japanese Government, among others, to develop safe and secure methods to dispose of existing surplus military and civilian plutonium stocks. This will help to “prevent unauthorized actors, criminals, or terrorists from acquiring such materials,” to borrow the expression in your joint statement, as well as to make nuclear disarmament irreversible.

We are counting on you. The Hibakusha are counting on you.

Sincerely

Hideyuki Ban. Co-director
Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center

Koichi Kawano, Chair
Japan Congress Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs

Response can be directed to Koichi Kawano, GENSUIKIN, 1F RENGO-kaikan, 3-2-11 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 101-0062, Japan


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