Photo/Illutration Officials of three anti-nuclear organizations, Nihon Hidankyo, Gensuikyo and Gensuikin, hold a news conference to issue a joint statement in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on July 23. (Yosuke Watanabe)

Three anti-nuclear organizations, divided by ideological differences since the Cold War era, have issued a joint statement for the first time, calling for unity against nuclear weapons.

As the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings nears, Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), Gensuikyo (the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs) and Gensuikin (the Japan Congress against A-and-H Bombs) issued the statement at a news conference in Tokyo on July 23.

“Today, as the danger of the use of nuclear weapons grows, the role of the Japanese (anti-nuclear) movement is becoming increasingly important,” the statement said.

“It is of the utmost importance for us to transcend differences in ideology, creed and all other positions, so that we can inherit the reality of the atomic bombings and convey the inhumanity of nuclear weapons to Japan and the world,” it said.

Gensuikyo, an affiliate of the Japanese Communist Party, and Gensuikin, an affiliate of the former Japan Socialist Party and Sohyo (the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan), split in the 1960s during the Cold War due to differences in their positions on nuclear testing by the former Soviet Union.

The groups have advocated for anti-nuclear action separately since then.

However, that changed last year after Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, officials said.

The fact that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings also served as a catalyst for collaboration between the groups.

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