The International Civil Society Forum to Abolish Nuclear Weapons – 80 Years after the Atomic Bombings was held at the University of the Sacred Heart in Hiroo, Tokyo, on February 8-9, 2025. The Forum drew 600 participants on-site and approximately 300 participants online, for a total of approximately 900 participants over the two days. At the highly successful forum, many citizens learned about and engaged in discussions on a wide variety of topics.
- A wide variety of presentations and workshops were held on the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, including the reality of the atomic bombings and the damage caused by nuclear testing. Challenges of passing on the experiences, gender perspectives, and the impact on the natural environment were also discussed.
- Various sessions were held on topics including victim assistance and compensation for such nuclear damage, as well as active exchange of views on Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
- Participants also discussed how to expand the TPNW in nuclear-dependent states, the risks posed by nuclear deterrence, and how to overcome these.
- Particularly in the context of East Asia, the region in which Japan is located, participants considered how to reduce tensions, build trust among states, and abolish nuclear weapons, especially in East Asia, where Japan is located.
- And, the roles and initiatives of various communities, regions, and civil society were also highlighted.
As an outcome of the Forum, the document “80 Years of the Atomic Bombings: To Learn and to Convey the Inhumanity of Nuclear Weapons” was presented. Through this we will disseminate the voices of Hibakusha in Japan and abroad, and convey our belief that nuclear weapons and humanity cannot coexist. We shall also promote the Hibakusha Dialogue initiative, in which atomic bomb survivors and youth engage together in dialogue.
In addition, the Forum is also working on recommendations on Nuclear Victims Assistance and Environmental Restoration, Universalization of the TPNW, and Nuclear Disarmament in East Asia. We reaffirmed that each of these recommendations will lead to our goal of abolishing nuclear weapons, and serve as an entry point to realize this goal. The first named two such recommendations will be submitted as Working Ppaers to the Third Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW.
As the two-day forum made clear, citizens of Japan and from around the world who are striving for a world without nuclear weapons are earnestly working to utilize and nurture the TPNW. We hope that the Government of Japan will join this treaty as soon as possible and fulfill its role as a nation that experienced the wartime atomic bombings .
The success of this forum was possible due to the many organizations and individuals who supported in various ways, including through cooperation and sponsorship. Once again, we would like to express our deepest gratitude.
Let us make this moment, eighty years after the atomic bombings, a turning point for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Japan Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
