Tri-Valley CAREs would like to publicly congratulate the Nihon Hidankyo, a Hibakusha group from Japan, (Hibakusha are survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki) who was recently awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. You can view their response to receiving the award here.
This award is especially significant to our local community. Tri-Valley CAREs has co-sponsored an annual commemoration for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for decades at the gates of the Livermore Laboratory, where a new generation of nuclear weapons are currently being developed. This annual event is held in order to remember the lessons of the Hibakusa, “Never Again,” and to bring attention to the ongoing risk of nuclear war.
Nihon Hidankyo called out these weapons and the dangers they pose to us all in the Nobel acceptance speech. This long overdue prize commemorates the Hibakusha for their decades-long effort working towards peace, and a nuclear-free world. With the increase of nuclear arsenals across the globe, many of the Hibakusha – some well in their 90s – fear that their histories may be lost to time. This Nobel Peace Prize, given 79 years since the initial bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place, serves as a reminder of the Second World War, and the visceral, gut-wrenching reality that Japan experienced.
“I am infinitely saddened and angered that the ‘nuclear taboo’ threatens to be broken,” noted Tanaka, one of three chairpersons of Hidankyo, referring to the thousands of ready-to-launch warheads.
This August 6th and 9th will be the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and there will most definitely be a commemoration at the gates of Livermore Lab. Inside, the Lab is busy developing the new W87-1 warhead the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). This plan to replace all 400 of our current Minuteman III ICBMs with Sentinel ICBMs, will take until at least 2030. It’s W87-1 warhead is a major driver for re-establishing plutonium pit production as it requires a newly designed plutonium pit.
While the Nihon Hidankyo warn us about the dangers of nuclear arsenals, U.S. programs, like the Sentinel, are doubling down on nuclear weapons for generations to come. The message of the Hibakusha is more important than ever, and it is up to us to amplify it!
