A-bomb survivors' group decries 'absolute evil' of nukes at U.N. confab

The principal Japanese atomic bomb survivors' organization denounced nuclear weapons as "absolute evil" during a United Nations conference marking the body's inaugural international meeting concerning victims of atomic bombings and nuclear testing. Masako Wada, deputy secretary general of Nihon Hidankyo, which earned the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, recounted her mother's grim experiences following the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki, claiming she had "lost her humanity."

The one-day International Meeting on Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation solicited testimony from representatives of civic groups affected by nuclear weapons, aiming to guide the UN secretary general's report and recommendations. Wada, who survived the U.S. atomic bombing as a two-year-old, emphasized the imperative to prevent further global atomic bombings, underscoring the need for comprehensive nuclear disarmament.

Japan's deputy ambassador to the UN, Shigeru Umetsu, highlighted his nation's contributions to aiding victims of nuclear testing, while also stressing the importance of promoting accurate knowledge about nuclear test and bombing effects to advance disarmament efforts. The meeting followed the General Assembly commemorating the International Day against Nuclear Tests, where UN disarmament chief Izumi Nakamitsu warned against the possibility of new nuclear tests, emphasizing the world must never witness another nuclear explosion.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the General Assembly's adoption and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear test explosions and forbids nine states, including declared and undeclared nuclear powers, from ratifying it.