From Nagasaki to NY: A mayor shares hibakusha messageーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS

Key Concepts

• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): An international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, promoting cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and furthering the goal of nuclear disarmament.
• Hibakusha: A Japanese term for the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• Nuclear Deterrence: The theory that the possession of nuclear weapons by states prevents other states from attacking them due to the threat of massive retaliation.
• Abolition: The complete elimination of nuclear weapons as a global policy goal.

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1. The Context of the NPT Review Conference

The NPT review conference, held every five years at the UN headquarters in New York, serves as a critical forum for global nuclear policy. The current session faces significant challenges, as the previous two conferences failed to adopt final documents. The global climate is described as "divided," with rising tensions between major powers, such as the United States and Iran, complicating the path toward consensus on disarmament.

2. The Personal Mission of Mayor Suzuki Shiro

Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki Shiro attended the conference driven by his family history. His parents were survivors of the August 9, 1945, atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which killed over 70,000 people by the end of that year.

• Personal Impact: Suzuki’s mother, Tomoko, was trapped under a collapsed shelf during the blast. Her school served as an emergency relief station where she witnessed the cremation of bodies in the schoolyard.
• Symbolic Significance: Tomoko stopped celebrating her birthday on August 9th, as it was the day the city was destroyed and thousands of lives were lost. Suzuki views his advocacy as a duty to convey the "pain, sadness, and fear" experienced by the Hibakusha.

3. Lobbying Efforts and Diplomatic Challenges

Mayor Suzuki engaged in direct, face-to-face lobbying with international delegates to push for concrete disarmament actions.

• Strategic Engagement: He met with representatives from various nations, including South Africa—a country that serves as a model for disarmament, having dismantled its nuclear program in 1993.
• The "Deterrence" Gap: Suzuki held meetings with representatives from nuclear-armed states, including Russia, the U.S., and France. He reported a significant disconnect: these nations remain committed to the concept of "nuclear deterrence," showing little to no willingness to relinquish their arsenals.

4. Methodology: Humanizing the Catastrophe

To counter the abstract, security-focused rhetoric of the delegates, Suzuki utilized a specific advocacy framework:

• The Power of Testimony: He distributed a book detailing the life of Sumiteru Taniguchi, a Hibakusha who famously displayed photos of his severe burn injuries at the 2010 NPT conference.
• The Argument Against Oblivion: During his UN speech, Suzuki quoted Taniguchi: "The sufferings of the past seem to be fading away. I fear this oblivion. I fear that such forgetfulness may lead to a new acceptance of the use of atomic bombs."
• The "Empathy Framework": Suzuki urged delegates to imagine their own families in the position of the Hibakusha, attempting to shift the discourse from geopolitical strategy to the catastrophic human consequences of nuclear warfare.

5. Key Arguments and Perspectives

• Absolute Evil: Suzuki maintains that nuclear weapons are "absolute evil" and that total abolition is the only way to preserve humanity for future generations.
• The Risk of Stagnation: Suzuki expressed deep concern that the world is drifting further away from the goal of a nuclear-free world, noting that the focus on security strategy often obscures the humanitarian reality of nuclear use.
• Persistence: Despite the lack of immediate progress and the difficulty of the diplomatic environment, Suzuki remains committed to his "No Hibakusha Again" mission, arguing that giving up is not an option.

6. Synthesis and Conclusion

The summary of Mayor Suzuki’s efforts highlights the tension between the cold, strategic calculations of nuclear-armed states and the visceral, human-centric plea of those who have experienced nuclear devastation. While the NPT conference faces systemic gridlock, Suzuki’s approach emphasizes that disarmament cannot be achieved through policy alone; it requires a constant, active remembrance of the human cost. His mission serves as a reminder that Nagasaki must remain the last city to suffer a wartime atomic bombing, a goal that requires persistent international pressure and a rejection of the "forgetfulness" that allows nuclear proliferation to continue.