August 6th, at Peace Memorial Park

Imagining a nuclear-free world

On August 6th, the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, we went to Peace Memorial Park to ask people some questions using a questionnaire entitled "How many years will it take for nuclear weapons to be abolished?" 149 people from 17 countries, including Japan, responded. Some people answered, "Nuclear weapons could be abolished right now if we had the motivation." Others said, "Nuclear weapons will never be abolished." With 50 years as the dividing line, we sorted the answers into "short term" (50 years or less) and "long term" (50 years or more), and we added categories for "impossible" and "I don't know."

Fifty-eight people said "50 years or less," which at 38.9% was the largest proportion of respondents. Thirty-seven of those respondents said "Less than 20 years." They thought so because "Many people and countries are seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons," and because "Public awareness has risen."

Some people gave a specific year, such as 2010 (3 people), or 2020 (4 people). They pointed out that the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will be held in 2010, while 2020 is the year that the Mayors for Peace "2020 Vision Campaign" has set for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Elementary school pupils also thought earnestly about this question and gave us some level-headed answers. Some said they would do whatever they could, for example, appealing to people in their circle to say "No!" to nuclear weapons. Others said they would make an effort to reduce the number of arguments that go on around them.

Although some people responded that abolition could be accomplished in the short term, they gravely pointed out that "not many people are doing anything." We feel that everybody should be more interested in peace and that it is important to try to discover what steps we can take. (Aya Tsuchie, 16, and Moeko Takaki, 13)

19.5% of respondents, 29 people, gave answers that fell into the category of "51 years or more." Thirteen of them believed that it would take more than 100 years and another 11 people simply replied that it would take "a long time" instead of giving a specific year.

Several reasons were cited, such as "No country will take the first step towards the abolition of nuclear weapons," and "Many people agree with the nuclear deterrent theory, so it would take a lot of time and reflection to change their minds." A lot of respondents pointed out that no concrete action towards the abolition of nuclear weapons can be seen.

Nevertheless, some of the "long term" respondents also stated that "It might take 100 years, but if the youth of today continue to campaign for the worldwide abolition of nuclear weapons, it should be possible to achieve it".

As for what we can do, some children aged 10 years and over said, "Think about the importance of 'peace' and call for international interaction," and "Take part in events that study the terror of nuclear weapons." (Rikako Okada, 18, and Mako Sakamoto, 11)

Forty-one people, 27.5%, about 1 in 4 of all the participants, responded, "It's impossible."

Various reasons were given: "Countries that are preaching peace happen to possess nuclear weapons"; countries should look after their own interests; and "Because human beings seek to possess great power."

Some people said, "This is an issue which will be decided by people in positions of power, so there is nothing we can do about it."

Meanwhile, 21 people, or 14.1%, said, "I don't know."

The main reasons were "People do not study the past," or "A lot of people aren't interested in nuclear weapons and war," and so on, so the abolition of nuclear weapons is something that is difficult to envisage.

Moreover, we found the following opinions: "It doesn't seem likely that great powers such as the United States would abolish nuclear weapons against their own interests," and "Don't some countries rely on using the threat of nuclear war to enhance their status in the international community?"

However, most of those people who answered "It is impossible" or "I don't know" have not given up hope. As for what could be done to abolish nuclear weapons, they suggested "Electing good politicians" and "Getting the politicians to listen to public opinion," and also said that they would "Continue to protest against the terror of nuclear weapons," revealing a willingness to keep on making an effort for their abolition.

We ourselves also do not know when nuclear weapons can actually be abolished. However, if we keep on doing whatever we can, little by little, we firmly believe that it will happen one day. (Nao Tatsugawa, 16, Minako Iwata, 15, and Aoi Otomo, 13)