Hiroshima sends letters of protest to Russia for suggesting possible use of nuclear weapons
Apr. 10, 2015
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
On April 3, the City of Hiroshima and the Hiroshima City Council sent letters of protest to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly indicated the possibility of Russia resorting to its nuclear arsenal.
The City of Hiroshima sent a letter, signed by the mayor, which rebukes the Russian leader for words and actions which dismiss the wishes for peace of the A-bomb survivors. The letter urges Russia to fulfill its obligation to pursue negotiations for nuclear disarmament as a member of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Hiroshima City Council, signed by the chairperson, criticized Mr. Putin’s comments as a fundamental threat to the peace of the human race. Both letters were sent to the Russian embassy after first being faxed.
In mid-March, Mr. Putin revealed that he had ordered Russian nuclear weapons to be readied for possible use during the crisis in Ukraine last year. It was learned that when Russia conducted large-scale military exercises around the same time, they were carried out under the assumption of limited preemptive use of nuclear weapons. Recently, the Russian ambassador to Denmark said that if Denmark joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) missile defense program, Danish ships could become targets of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.
(Originally published on April 4, 2015)
On April 3, the City of Hiroshima and the Hiroshima City Council sent letters of protest to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly indicated the possibility of Russia resorting to its nuclear arsenal.
The City of Hiroshima sent a letter, signed by the mayor, which rebukes the Russian leader for words and actions which dismiss the wishes for peace of the A-bomb survivors. The letter urges Russia to fulfill its obligation to pursue negotiations for nuclear disarmament as a member of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Hiroshima City Council, signed by the chairperson, criticized Mr. Putin’s comments as a fundamental threat to the peace of the human race. Both letters were sent to the Russian embassy after first being faxed.
In mid-March, Mr. Putin revealed that he had ordered Russian nuclear weapons to be readied for possible use during the crisis in Ukraine last year. It was learned that when Russia conducted large-scale military exercises around the same time, they were carried out under the assumption of limited preemptive use of nuclear weapons. Recently, the Russian ambassador to Denmark said that if Denmark joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) missile defense program, Danish ships could become targets of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.
(Originally published on April 4, 2015)
