Hidankyo Leader Regrets Japan's Absence from Nuclear Ban Meeting

   Tsurugashima, Saitama Pref., Feb. 23 (Jiji Press)--A prominent Japanese hibakusha atomic bomb survivor expressed regret Sunday over the Japanese government's decision not to attend as an observer the upcoming third meeting of signatories to a nuclear ban treaty.
   "The only thing I can say is 'it's regrettable,'" Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, which won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, said in a speech at a meeting held in the city of Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo.
   "Were we still not capable of (making the government change its mind)?" said Tanaka, 92.
   Tanaka looked back at his activities aimed at eliminating nuclear weapons and said, "Japanese hibakusha have established the nuclear taboo, but it's now on the brink of collapse," expressing concern over the growing international tensions.
   "Japan must take the lead in preventing nuclear weapons from being used for a third time," he said.

(2025/02/23-21:12)

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