Special Report LAST UPDATE May 10, 2010
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April 29, 2010 Calling for an end to the nuclear menace
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Tanaka Kenji, whose mother was exposed to nuclear fall-out, suffers from many cancers and was born with blindness in one eye.
Most people know that nuclear weapons are devastating. But the true horror of these weapons of mass destruction becomes even more clear during a conversation with the survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Japan , known as Hibakusha. These elderly men and women speak candidly about the scores of bodies that they found throughout Nagasaki and Hiroshima shortly after the bombs exploded. They say there were bodies everywhere; in homes, on streets and even floating up and down in nearby rivers. Many Hibakusha rushed towards the epicentres to try to help other survivors, unaware that their blistering skin was a result of exposure to radiation.

The impact of these weapons has left a lasting impression on the ten Hibakusha who are travelling on the 69th Voyage. They are calling for the abolition of all nuclear weapons, as part of the third Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World – Peace Boat Hibakusha Project. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombings, giving additional significance to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference taking place in New York during May. Two Hibakusha travelling with the 69th Voyage will fly to New York to give testimonies at the United Nations headquarters during the conference.
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Kawasaki Akira says that there is limited time to hear the testimonies of the Hibakusha, whose average age is now 75 years old.
Peace Boat Executive Committee member and Hibakusha Project Director Kawasaki Akira says there is great hope that the NPT Review Conference will lead to a reduction in nuclear weapons. This is partly because of another treaty called New START (STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty), signed in April 2010, which is an agreement between the US and Russia to reduce their deployed atomic weapons by one third. "As an NGO we must continue to encourage world leaders to speed up the removal of these weapons," Mr Kawasaki says.

Mr Kawasaki is also calling for the phased removal of nuclear technology as renewable energy becomes cheaper and easier to create. "The use of nuclear material is so dangerous, one single accident could cause a catastrophe for all humanity," he says. Mr Kawasaki says the Hibakusha are vital in spreading this anti-nuclear message around globe. "Imagine a person aged in their seventies who is battling many cancers, but is still travelling around the world voluntarily to speak to people about this cause," he says. "It has a very big impact on the hearts of those listening." Mr Kawasaki says there are plans for the Hibakusha onboard the 69th Voyage to meet many influential people including the heads of state, parliamentarians, mayors and policy makers.
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Kwak Kwihoon says that winning the court case means many Hibakusha who were abandoned by the Japanese government are now eligible for care and compensation.

One of the Hibakusha travelling on the 69th voyage is Kwak Kwihoon, who was born in the countryside of Korea and conscripted to the Japanese army at the age of 20. He was one of many Koreans who found themselves in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped a year later. Mr Kwak says that he ran towards the epicentre to find his fellow soldiers and was exposed to radiation which burnt his skin. He says he was one of the lucky ones. The only tell-tale sign that he was exposed to the bomb is the scarred patch on his arm where his skin melted away.

Many Koreans like Mr Kwak were never granted compensation from the Japanese government, which issued a decree revoking the Hibakusha status of those who lived outside of Japan. But he fought the Japanese government in the Supreme Court of Osaka and won. It was a hallmark case, which paved the way for scores of other Hibakusha living outside of Japan to gain compensation and equal treatment. Mr Kwak says that, as someone affected by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, he feels a duty to campaign on behalf of other victims for the abolishition of nuclear weapons. "Atomic bombs shouldn't exist," he says. "I'm not sure whether they will be completely abolished during my lifetime but I hope that the numbers will decrease slightly." He hopes that the upcoming NPT Review Conference will be a major step towards that goal.