Hiroshima Message

Aug.11: The summer heat has subsided for a couple of days, but heavy rain has hit Kyushu Island, causing numerous delays in bullet trains in western Japan. August is the time to remember two tragic events for the Japanese: the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima/Nagasaki and the JAL plane crash, which caused the most significant tragedy in history.

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I was impressed by the speech by Mr. Hidehiko Yuzaki, Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture. Here's the excerpts from the speech:

“⋯(omit)　We are aware that the prosperity we are enjoying today is fragile, as the international situation shifts from one based on the rule of law and diplomacy to a world ruled by overt violence.

Given this situation, some people argue that the importance of nuclear deterrence is growing. ----　Certainly, the concept of deterrence may be necessary to prevent the outbreak of wars, but there are limitations. Since the Peloponnesian War in ancient Greece, deterrence supported by the balance of power has been broken repeatedly. This is because it is ultimately a psychological construct or an idea that exists only in our minds. Unlike universal laws such as law of universal gravitation, deterrence is not an undeniable truth but a fiction.

Deterrence has been broken by over-confident leaders, extreme egoism, pressure from an agitated populace, and widespread misunderstandings or misconceptions. As Japan started the Pacific War despite its overwhelming disadvantage in the balance of power, human beings do not always make rational decisions, which is a fundamental assumption of deterrence theory, especially nuclear deterrence theory.

In fact, nuclear deterrence has not been safely sustained over the past 80 years, but has, at times, been on the brink of collapse. Historical records reveal several instances where the risk of nuclear catastrophe was averted only because of intentional breaches of protocol and the refusal to launch a nuclear missile.

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Should nuclear deterrence fail someday, as suggested by historical evidence, and should nuclear war occur, it would be impossible to save the human race and the earth from irreparable devastation.

What is the meaning of national security if it protects only the concept of the nation but has the possibility to lead to an irrecoverable end for its land and people?

Deterrence does not simply refer to a balance of military power, but it also encompasses broader elements such as soft power and diplomacy. To ensure the sustainability of humanity even if deterrence fails, we must eliminate nuclear weapons as a component of deterrence.

Reportedly, more than 14 trillion yen is spent annually to maintain nuclear deterrence. What we must do now is to invest just one-tenth of this amount into resources and knowledge to build a new security system without nuclear weapons.

Nuclear abolition is not a far-off lodestar shining in the sky. ⋯　We must pursue the abolition of nuclear weapons. It is a tangible, realistic goal within our reach, the failure of which could mean death.　⋯(omit)　Lastly, Hiroshima Pref. will never stop its efforts towards nuclear abolition.”

(Source: Hiroshima Prefecture website, Chugoku Newspaper Contents Services)