79 years have passed since the atomic bombing that claimed the lives of many people. For now, we enjoy a "peaceful postwar Japan" and live without fearing the flames of the bomb. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is being held solemnly to "commemorate the victims of the atomic bomb and pray for the realization of lasting world peace." Of course, no one wants war, and there is surely no one who does not wish for peace to be brought to the world.
Is this really the case? Government officials who participate in the memorial ceremony for the realization of peace continue to insist on strengthening Japan's military power with the same mouth. Despite the fact that the people of Okinawa are hurt by U.S. military personnel almost every year, they are not only silent, but are trying to cover up the incident itself. They are even trying to forget the history of Japan's invasion and colonial rule of Asian countries as "something that never happened."
There is no doubt that Japan is the only country to have suffered a nuclear bombing in war. If that is the case, we must appeal to the international community for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
However, looking at the reality, not only are they not joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, they do not even question the protection they receive from the American "nuclear umbrella." They are also promoting nuclear power generation that can be converted into nuclear weapons, and even after the Fukushima accident, they are not changing their stance and are planning to restart nuclear power plants. Are they saying that there are "good nuclear power" and "bad nuclear power" depending on their position?
Let's look at the world. Right now, the Palestinian people are being massacred and their land is being occupied by the Israeli military's invasion. This is not something that just started, but has been going on for decades since the founding of Israel. Despite this, a representative of the Israeli government is about to be invited to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony. What can the perpetrators of war say about lasting world peace?
On the other hand, government officials from Russia and Belarus, which continue to invade Ukraine, have not been invited because "it may affect the smooth running of the ceremony." Certainly, a peace memorial ceremony inviting invaders is morally wrong. If that is the case, shouldn't we invite all countries that are currently invading? What difference is there between Israel and Russia when it comes to praying for lasting world peace?
We must not forget that the 5th Army Division, based in Hiroshima, invaded the Malay Peninsula and Singapore, massacring the local people. There is no doubt that the atomic bomb was not dropped on Hiroshima by chance, but because it has developed as a military city since modern times and has functioned as the front line of Asian aggression. Isn't it impossible to pray for peace without considering not only the tragic event of the atomic bombing, but also the past violence committed by the former Japanese military?
There is no doubt that the people of Hiroshima are victims of the atomic bombing in 1945. And there is no contradiction in offering a moment of silence for the victims and praying for the realization of peace. However, for the Japanese government, which continues to take such an insincere attitude, to hold a peace memorial ceremony is rather a desecration of the victims of the atomic bombing and peace. Rather than praying for peace as a symbolic appeal for only one day on August 6, we should always act to realize peace.
And now, citizens who appeal for anti-war, anti-nuclear, and peace are being restricted by the government, police, and right-wing coalition in order to "hold a safe, secure, and quiet ceremony." In the end, they have no interest in the memorialization of the atomic bomb victims or the realization of lasting world peace, and are only trying to obstruct and silence the anti-war and peace movement. In the first place, the government-led Peace Memorial Ceremony has a national character, so in a sense, this kind of suppression is to be expected.
It is necessary to pray for the memorialization of the dead and for peace.
But at the same time, it is also necessary to be angry about the past and present situation. Neither prayer without anger nor anger without prayer is valid. With this awareness of the problem, we will denounce the deceptive nature of the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th, and begin action to truly demand the memorialization of the atomic bomb victims and lasting world peace.
Timeline of August 6th Gathering
from 7 30am: Action against the Ceremony in the near of the Peace Memorial Park
from 9 30am: Demonstration against the Peace Memorial Ceremony
from 13 pm: Gathering & Talking
