(7) What impact can a sit-in have?

As a first step, oppose violence

It's true that protesters can sometimes be seen in Peace Memorial Park, where they hold banners expressing their opposition to nuclear testing. So I joined a sit-in on March 20th, the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. This sit-in called for the withdrawal of Japan's Self-Defense Force from Iraq and I sat with these 110 protesters in front of the A-bomb Dome.

To be honest, I wasn't sure our actions had any impact. I asked about this to a man sitting next to me. He said that he had been participating in these protests for 30 years and added, "I know a sit-in can't stop war. But it's the only thing I can do." In fact, these sorts of protests are a simple way for anyone to get involved in demonstrating their beliefs.

Many atomic bomb survivors and members of labor unions participate in these activities. Two of the main survivors groups, who call for sit-ins, share the same name, "Hiroshima Alliance to Ban Nuclear Weapons," but have two different nicknames, "Gensuikyo" and "Gensuikin."

When did these sit-ins begin?

The writer participates in the sit-in at the A-bomb Dome.(on the right)

According to records of Gensuikyo and Gensuikin, the first sit-ins were held in March-April 1957. Kiyoshi Kikkawa, a shopowner near the A-bomb Dome, organized the sit-ins with three of his friends. Displaying their keloids in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, they wanted to convey the cruelty of atomic bombs and protest a British H-bomb test.

But why did they choose a sit-in as their form of protest?

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any survivors who participated in the first sit-ins. On their behalf, Kota Kiya , the Secretary-General of the Hiroshima Association for A-bomb Survivors (Ken Hidankyo, for short), explained, "The sit-in had already been established as a form of non-violent action for the peace movement and so they believed it would be effective for their own protests." At the same time, Yukio Yoshioka, the Secretary-General of another survivors group, also know as Ken Hidankyo, assumes "In their fury, these actions by the atomic bomb survivors began spontaneously."

So what should we think of the impact of these sit-ins? I found that participants are asking themselves the same question.

Yukio Yokohara, the Director of Hiroshima Gensuikin says, "Although I have had doubts about the impact of sit-ins-that they produce little more than self-satisfaction-at the same time, I believe sit-ins which take place at well-visited sites, such as the A-bomb Dome, do have power." He added that an individual's power may be small, but a group protesting together can send a strong message to others.

And Nobuo Takahashi, the Director of Hiroshima Gensuikyo, stresses the need to "protest with our actions so that the experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be repeated." (Kyoko Morioka, staff writer)