Pugwash Conference Opens in Hiroshima

Hiroshima, Nov. 1 (Jiji Press)–The 63rd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs opened in the western Japanese city of Hiroshima on Saturday, bringing together about 190 participants from around 40 countries and regions to mainly discuss the elimination of nuclear weapons. During the five-day conference in the city, which was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb 80 years ago, scientists and other experts will exchange views on topics such as nuclear disarmament and security in the Middle East. They are slated to adopt a Hiroshima declaration on Wednesday, the final day. The theme of the latest conference is “80 Years After the Atomic Bombing–Time for Peace, Dialogue and Nuclear Disarmament.” Terumi Tanaka, 93, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, also known as Nihon Hidankyo, which won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, and 88-year-old hibakusha atomic bomb survivor Keiko Ogura will speak at separate sessions on Saturday. Ahead of the event, Pugwash President Hussain Al-Shahristani and others visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and laid flowers at the cenotaph for the atomic bomb victims. They also visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]