2016海外への手紙
To our friends wholove peace
This coming summer we will have passed 71 years since the atomic bombs weredropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
At this time in the world there are 15,000 nuclear bombs that threaten thelives of human beings. The atomic bombs destroyed the cities in moments, andtook the lives of 210,000 people within the year. This was one of the worsttragedies in human history, and to this day 180,000 people continue to sufferas victims of the atomic bombs. Harmful radioactivity is also spread to allcorners of the world due to nuclear testing and nuclear plant meltdowns.
“We humans can never coexist with nuclear weapons” “No more atomic bombvictims”, the citizens movement for the abolition of nuclear weaponry hasspread, and is about to change the world. At the 70th General Assembly of theUN Disarmament Conference in December 2015, the highest number so far of 140countries backed the decision requested by the Comprehensive NuclearDisarmament Treaty carried forward by the Anti-Alliance Movement that wegathered.
On the 27th of May 2016, President Obamamade the first Official American Presidential visit to the bombed city of Hiroshima.People over the age of 80, the average age of those who have been affecteddirectly by the atomic bombs, sincerely hope that no one else will have toexperience the hell of nuclear weaponry in their lives again. Not you, yourfamily, nor anyone else should be a victim of an atomic bomb.
From this year, we, the victims of the atomic bomb, are going to start asignature campaign all over the world to ensure a nuclear disarmament treaty.We intend to change international politics with these signatures and thehundreds of millions of opinions of people around the world.
We, The Council of the Great Peace March of Ehime Japan against Atomic andHydrogen Bombs, as a nation that has experienced the travesty of atomic bombs,with the Constitution of Renunciation of War, have taken part in the peacemarch for 59 years hoping for world peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.This year, we also visited all the cities in the Ehime Prefecture and over 700citizens including victims of the atomic bombs took part in the Peace March. Atthe same time, we have organized the collection and sending of 150,000 papercranes as” messengers of peace “to foreign countries.
In traditional Japanese culture, 1000 cranes represent long life. It is saidthat cranes live for a thousand years, and turtles for ten thousand. There is astatue of a child who was a victim of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima Peace Park.Sadako Sasaki was 2 years and 8 months when the atomic bomb was dropped. Whileill years later, filled with the desire to live, she went on to fold 1000 papercranes. She died of acute leukemia at the age of 12. Cranes are a symbol of ourresolution to prevent further suffering due to atomic bombs.
We will send these cranes to your group. We have sent 3,988,000 cranes to 78groups in 31 countries. We hope that your anti-nuclear grass roots movementswill make use of them. We look forward to hearing about your activities.
No more Hiroshima! No more Nagasaki! No more nuclear bomb victims!
2016The Council of The Great Peace March of Ehime
The Chair
平和を愛する仲間のみなさんへ
１９４５年８月、広島・長崎に原爆が投下されてから７１年目の夏を迎えました。
今なお世界には、１万５千発以上の核兵器が存在し、人類の生存を脅かしています。原爆は、一瞬のうちに２つの都市を破壊し、２１万人の尊い命を奪いました。人類史上例のない非人道的な被害をもたらし、現在も１８万人の被爆者が苦しみ続けています。また、核実験や原発事故によって世界各地に深刻な放射能被害が広がっています。
平均年令８０才をこえた被爆者は、後世の人々が生き地獄を体験しないように、生きている間になんとしても核兵器のない世界を実現したいと切望しています。あなたとあなたの家族、全ての人々を絶対に被爆者にしてはなりません。今年より被爆者はすみやかな核兵器廃絶を願い、核兵器を禁止し廃絶する条約を結ぶことを、すべての国に求める国際署名がスタートします。この署名を、核兵器廃絶を求める何億という世界の世論にして、国際政治を動かしていきましょう。
私たち原水爆禁止国民平和大行進愛媛県実行委員会は、被爆国であり、戦争放棄の憲法をもつ日本国民として、世界の平和と核兵器廃絶を願い、５９年間平和行進を続けています。今年も全自治体を訪問し、被爆者をはじめ７００人をこえる県民が行進しました。同時に「『平和の使者』千羽鶴を海外へ送る運動」にとりくみ、今年も１５万羽の折り鶴がよせられています。
千羽鶴は、日本では「鶴は千年、亀は万年」と言われ、長命の象徴です。広島平和公園には「原爆の子の像」があります。２歳８ヶ月で被爆した佐々木貞子さんは、急性白血病になり、「生きたい」という願いを込めて鶴を折り続けましたが、１２歳で亡くなりました。折り鶴には、「再び被爆者をつくらない」という決意が込められています。
この千羽鶴を今年は貴団体へお送りします。これまで、世界３１カ国７８団体へ、３９８万８千羽を送っています。みなさんの草の根からの反核平和運動に、この折り鶴を役立てていただくことを心から希望します。みなさんの平和運動の様子などお知らせいただければ幸いです。
