Survivors of the Nuclear Bomb in Japan Protest Trump's Resumption of Nuclear Testing

SadaNews - A group of survivors of the nuclear bomb in Japan, who hold the Nobel Peace Prize, harshly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to resume nuclear weapons testing, deeming it "completely unacceptable," according to "Agence France-Presse."

More than 200,000 people were killed when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, marking the only time nuclear weapons were used in warfare.

Survivors, referred to as "hibakusha," have suffered physical and psychological trauma for decades.

After Trump announced on Thursday that he had ordered the Pentagon to conduct nuclear weapons tests in response to Russian and Chinese tests, the "Nihon Hidankyo" group, holder of the Nobel Peace Prize, sent a letter of protest to the U.S. embassy in Japan.

In the letter, which "Agence France-Presse" acquired a copy of on Friday, the survivors' group stated that Trump's order "directly contradicts the efforts of countries around the world aiming for a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons, which is completely unacceptable."

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki also condemned Trump's decision, saying it "tramples on the efforts of people around the world who have done everything possible to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons."

Suzuki added to reporters on Thursday: "If nuclear weapons testing begins immediately, doesn’t that make him unworthy of the Nobel Peace Prize?" referring to Japanese Prime Minister Sanai Takaiichi's intention to nominate Trump for the award.

The grassroots Hidankyo movement for hibakusha won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024, and upon receiving the award, called on countries to abandon nuclear weapons.

Two other groups of nuclear bomb survivors, based in Hiroshima, issued protest statements, stating: "We strongly protest and demand that such tests not be conducted."

A joint statement issued by the Hiroshima Conference Against Nuclear Bombs and the Federation of Atomic Bomb Victims' Associations in Hiroshima, which was also sent to the U.S. embassy in Japan, declared: "In a nuclear war, there are no winners or losers; humanity as a whole is the loser."

The statement added: "The inhuman nature of nuclear weapons is clearly evident in the destruction witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, followed by another bomb on Nagasaki three days later.

Shortly thereafter, Japan surrendered, thereby ending World War II.

Approximately 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and another 74,000 in Nagasaki, many of whom died due to radiation exposure.