Mission for Peace Japanese Peace delegation set to visit Bengal

by Special Correspondent

A nine-member Japanese peace delegation is scheduled to visit India from January 17 to January 31.The delegation members are drawn from the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) . On January 20 the delegation will be given a reception at Durgapur. Another reception has been planned for the delegation in Calcutta on January 21. The same day the delegation members will hold round table talks with leaders of different organisations in the city. To prevent tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in future The Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs , formed in 1955, has been conducting a sustained campaign for fthe prevention of nuclear war and elimination of and total ban on nuclear weapons rallying behind it all Japanese organisations propagating views against nuclear holocaust.

The delegation will be staying in West Bengal for four days from January 19.

In the current "Campaign for International Joint Action for the 21^st Century Free of Nuclear weapons", Japan Gensuikyo sent a letter to all governments of the world to urge them to take immediate actions to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Just after the nuclear tests of India and Pakistan, Japan Gensuikyo sent the photo panels of A-bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki to peace movements in the two countires to make known of the damage of nuclear weapons.

Japan Gensuikyo is composed of about 60 national organisations, local Gensuikyous in all 47 prefectures an about 800 grass-roots Gensuikyos, with approximately 3.5 million members in total.

New Japan Women’s Association, one of the associates of Gensuikyo is New Japan Women’s Association. It was formed on October 19, 1962, at the call of 32 prominent women in Japan, including Raicho Hiratsuka, the pioneer of women $B!G (Bs movement in Japan,a nd Chihiro Iwasaki, painter of children. In terms of individual membership organisations. It is the largest women’s organisation in Japan, with 200,000 members of 10,000 branches and 300,000 subscribers of its weekly paper all over the country. The president of the association was recently elected a Diet member. Based on one of the Five Objectives of the association, viz., to "protect lives of women and children from nuclear war, we have given priority to the task of peace and persistently promoted grass-root movement for the defense of the Peace Constitution and the elimination of nuclear weapons. The association also plays a central role in the No Nukes! Women’s Forum" which has been held every August as the best place for developing International solidarity for all women of the World.

Another partner the House Association of the Chiba General Construction Workers Union was formed in 1974 in order to protect both jobs of their husbands and family life. Currently, 18 branches of the union (25,800 membership) have the housewives association whose membership totals 6045.

The association promotes study activity of various social issues and takes up what the members want to do, for example, health improvement programme, tax problem, cooking, handicrafts, etc. It attaches importance to peace activity. This year it held a war exhibition for peace for the first time. We are making efforts to build friendship among the members so that they can talk freely about their anxiety about health of their families, child care, education and life after retirement.

Daito City Teachers and Staff’s Union is an affiliate of Osaka Teachers and Staff’s Union which is a regional body of the All Japan teachers and Staff’s Union (Zenkyo). Daito City, whose population is some 130,000 is governed by democratic government in which the Communist Party is a ruling party possessing 25% of the city assembly seats.

Since 1985, the union has carried on the 6^th and 9^th day action, which is a monthly signature campaign in support of the Appeal from Hiroshima and Nagasahi for the abolition of nuclear weapons. In December, 1998, the total number of actions reached 114. Through these efforts, the goal of the campaign, the signatures of more than half of the Daito City population was achieved.

March 7, 1998 became a memorable day for Daito Gensuikyo because this small city sponsored an international symposium for the elimination of nuclear weapons, inviting delegates from three countries.

Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferes Organisation (Nihon Hidankyo) is the only nationwide organisation of A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Hibakusha). It was founded on August 10, 1956 and it has affiliates in all 47 prefectures in Japan. Nihon Hidankyo has three main objectives: Prevention of nuclear war and the elimination of nuclear weapons, state compensation for the damage of the A-bombing, and the adequate relief measures for the Ahibakusha.

Nihon Hidankyo has been working together with the Japanese peace movement to reach these goals. It has been striving to make the damage of the A-bombing known to people in Japan and overseas by sending the Hibakusha for speaking tour.

Nihon Hidankyo made great contribution to the enactment of the Hibakusha Aid law in 1994. But it is still urging the Japanese government to provide state compensation to the Hibakusha as expression of the pledge that there should not be another Hibakusha anywhere on earth.

Aiyukai-Aichi Prefectural Association of A-Bomb Survivors was formed in 1957. It is an association of A-bomb survivors in Aichi prefecture and an affiliate of Nihon Hidankyo. It is working with about 3,600 survivors living in the prefecture for adequate relief measures for the Hibakusha to be taken by the central and local governments. As part of these efforts, it has held a memorial service tfor the dead victims every year and continued a Hibakusha’s pilgrimage.

The delegation visiting India comprises of (1) Mr. Mitsuo Sato (National Executive Board member, Japan Council against and H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) (2) Mr. Akiyoshi Katayama, (General Secretary, Nagasaki Prefectural Council against A & H Bombs (Nagasaki Gensuikyo) (3) Ms. Fumiko Kudo (Assistant general secretary, New Japan Women’s Association) (4) Mr. Satoru Konishi (Assistant general secretary, Japan Confederation of A & H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations (Nihon Hidankyo) (5) Ms. Yoshiko Suzuki (Vice chair, Housewives Association of the Vhiba General Construction Workers Union) (6) Mr. Tetsuro Matsuura (general Secretary, Daito-city Teachers and Staff’s Union Organisation) (7) Ms. Tokie Minuno (Assistant general secretary, Aichi Prefecture Confederation of A- & H-Bomb Sufferers (Ai-Yu-Kai) (8) Ms Yayoi Tsuchida (Member, Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) and (9) Ms. Yuki Sato (Member, Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo).