Hibakusha continues to inspire anti-nuclear campaignーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS

NHK WORLD-JAPAN

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Video Summary

At 94, atomic bomb survivor Setsuko Thurlow continues her urgent global campaign for nuclear disarmament, drawing on her firsthand experience of the Hiroshima bombing. Despite the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017, progress has stalled, with nuclear-armed states modernizing their arsenals and issuing threats. Thurlow's recent visit to Vienna aimed to inspire students and diplomats, urging them to uphold the treaty's promise and prevent the world from succumbing to a dangerous cycle of nuclear proliferation. She hopes that young people and nations like Japan will champion the cause for a nuclear-weapon-free future.

Short Highlights

Setsuko Thurlow, a hibakusha and Hiroshima survivor, campaigns for nuclear abolition.
She was instrumental in the 2017 adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Despite her age and ongoing efforts, nuclear disarmament progress is stalled, with global tensions rising.
Thurlow urges young people and diplomats to act and uphold the treaty's goals.

Key Details

Setsuko Thurlow's Mission [0:00]

Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, has dedicated over 50 years to advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
At 94, she continues her campaign with a heightened sense of urgency, recently speaking to students and locals in Vienna about her experiences.
She described the blinding flash and sensation of being lifted into the air during the bombing when she was 13, located 1.8 km from the hypocenter.

"With a sudden blinding flash in the window, I remember the sensation of flying up and floating up in the air."

The Human Cost of Hiroshima [0:00]

Thurlow lost family, relatives, and over 300 classmates and teachers in the Hiroshima bombing.
To honor the victims and preserve their dignity, she displays a banner with their names, refusing to let them be reduced to statistics.
She shared a poignant memory of joking with friends just 10 minutes before the bombing, only for them to be gone moments later.

"Just 10 minutes before that happened, I was joking and laughing and having good time with my friends. 10 minutes later, they are all gone."

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [0:00]

Thurlow's advocacy was crucial to the UN's adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017, which legally bans nuclear arms.
She previously spoke at a conference in Vienna in 2014, emphasizing the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and the need for a binding framework.
The first meeting of state parties to the treaty was held in Vienna in 2022, but global progress on disarmament has since stalled.

"The time has come for action to establish a legally binding framework to ban nuclear weapons."