Former Hiroshima Mayor Takashi Hiraoka (96) criticized Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for emphasizing nuclear deterrence. This is because Prime Minister Kishida’s actions were made in Hiroshima, which suffered damage from the nuclear weapon ‘Little Boy’ in 1945.
According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 22nd (Korean time), former Mayor Hiraoka criticized the G7 summit held in Hiroshima, saying, “It seems that Prime Minister Kishida was a summit that trampled on Hiroshima’s wishes.”
Former Mayor Hiraoka said, “At this meeting, countries belonging to the US nuclear umbrella, such as Japan, gathered in Hiroshima together with nuclear powers the US, UK and France to discuss military aspects such as nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.” Pain must be taken into account. We should have denied all nuclear weapons and talked about building peace.”
“The ‘Hiroshima Vision’ agreed upon on the 19th emphasized the importance of maintaining a nuclear deterrent,” he lamented, “Hiroshima, which has consistently denied nuclear weapons and war ever since the end of World War II, has been used as a stage.”
“The countries and regions that have joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) believe that Hiroshima has allowed nuclear weapons,” he said. “From now on, Hiroshima will no longer be trusted and we will lose our say.”
“I have no choice but to say that the chair country, Prime Minister Kishida of Japan, made a very big mistake,” he said, adding, “I want to tell you not to use Hiroshima any more, which has denied nuclear weapons and appealed for peace.”
Regarding the issue of the war in Ukraine, which was discussed at this meeting, he also mentioned the need to seek a peace regime.
Former Mayor Hiraoka said, “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was invited to the meeting. “This is a very political move,” he said. “The purpose of showing off Western solidarity to China and Russia is clear.”
“If the war in Ukraine was to be discussed in Hiroshima, a ceasefire and post-war reconstruction should have been discussed as soon as possible,” he said.
The former mayor of Hiraoka served as the 31st and 32nd mayor of Hiroshima for eight years from 1991 to 1999. During his tenure, he worked hard to move the Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Cenotaph outside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to the grounds of the park in 1999.
On the other hand, on the 21st, President Yoon Seok-yeol and Prime Minister Kishida drew attention by visiting the memorial stone for Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park for the first time.
Source: Donga
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