Hiroshima Governor Calls for N-Arms Abolition at NPT Event

New York, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima Governor Mika Yokota has highlighted the significance of abolishing nuclear weapons, at an event held on the sidelines of a review conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. “The only sure way to prevent the use of nuclear weapons is their abolition,” Yokota said at the event on Tuesday to discuss the impact of nuclear war by members of a U.N. independent panel of experts. “U.N. member states should unanimously prioritize the achievement of nuclear disarmament,” she added. The event was co-hosted by the prefectural governments of Hiroshima in western Japan and Nagasaki in southwestern Japan. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered U.S. atomic bombings in August 1945 in the closing days of World War II. Members of the expert panel, which was established last year to investigate the consequences of a nuclear war, held a panel discussion on the effects of nuclear weapons, covering everything from human health and climate to society as a whole. Masao Tomonaga, vice chair of the panel and a doctor who survived the Nagasaki bombing, took part in the panel discussion. He explained various symptoms that appear in the human body over a long period due to radiation exposure, using photos and data. The consequences of nuclear war “would not distinguish between nuclear-armed states and nonnuclear-weapon states,” Ana Maria Cetto, chair of the panel, said, suggesting that serious damage would be caused to agriculture and ecosystems across borders. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]