Nagasaki Hibakushas outraged by Putin's remarks

March 19, 2015

Nagasaki A-bomb survivors protest Putin’s nuclear arsenal remarks

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201503190045

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

NAGASAKI--Hibakusha organizations in Nagasaki Prefecture expressed outrage over Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent remarks about possibly having nuclear weapons at the ready.

The five atomic bomb survivor groups sent a written protest on March 18 to the Russian Embassy in Tokyo. They also called on the government to protest Putin’s remarks in a TV documentary show aired on March 15 that alluded to Russia's readiness to have a nuclear arsenal on alert last year at the time of its annexation of Crimea.

“(In marking the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing this year), the remarks fundamentally trampled on the wishes of atomic bomb victims in Nagasaki Prefecture to renew their determination to eliminate nuclear weapons," the letter to Putin said.

It also condemned the Russian president, saying that putting a nuclear arsenal on alert was wrong.

The letter urged Putin to rescind his remarks, which the hibakusha groups said was tantamount to a nuclear threat.

In letters addressed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, the groups vented their frustration over the government’s inaction with regard to Moscow's behavior by saying, “We cannot help but doubt the government’s stance toward nuclear weapons.”