Putin's remarks disrespectful to A-bomb victims

March 18, 2015

VOX POPULI: Putin’s nuclear comment dishonors memory of Japan's A-bomb victims

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/vox/AJ201503180032

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.

Spring was in the air when I went to the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo the other day for an exhibition titled "JFK: His Life and Legacy." This interesting exhibition about U.S. President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) includes a section on the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962--those 13 days when "humanity came to the brink of nuclear conflict."

The Cold War was raging, and international tensions heightened like never before when it was discovered that the Soviet Union had built a missile base in Cuba. Official memos from that time show that the White House considered the option of an armed attack on the base. But the crisis was averted at the last moment and the world was spared a nuclear war.

I had just returned from the exhibition when I heard the deeply shocking statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin on television to the effect that Russia was ready to bring its nuclear arsenal to a state of alert at the time of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

I imagine his comment was meant as a warning to the United States and Europe. But one would expect the threat of nuclear deployment to come from some sleazy outlaw, not from the leader of a superpower.

Putin apparently feels he is expected to play the hardcore, tough guy. His macho words and deeds, as manifested in the forcible annexation of Crimea, have created the image of a "formidable Russia." His popularity remains strong in his country.

But this has also resulted in his isolation from the international community. The Americans and the Europeans are further tightening their guard.

Putin's remark cannot possibly be acceptable to anyone who has been calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons to avert a "third tragedy."

Let me quote this heartfelt poem by Tsutomu Yamaguchi (1916-2010), a survivor of both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings: "May the black rain never fall again/ So that humans can keep praying for peace under the blue sky."

March 18 marks the first anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. It makes me feel as if the clock has been turned back to before World War II rather than the Cold War era.

The souls of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki cannot rest in peace.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 18

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.

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.”