Hiroshima survivors in Israel to protest nuclear weapons

Group carries ‘Nuclear Abolition’ signs to Jerusalem holy sites

11 September 2012, 5:17 am

Edit

A Japanese group of survivors of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War 2 hold signs calling for the abolition of Nuclear weapons at the Western Wall on September 10, 2012. (photo credit: Sebastian Scheiner/AP)

JERUSALEM (AP) — A group of survivors from the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack have held a protest in Jerusalem calling for the end of nuclear weapons.

The group visited Jerusalem holy sites on Monday and held signs reading “Nuclear Abolition” in Japanese.

The visit comes amid growing tensions between Israel and Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Israel and much of the West believe Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge that Tehran denies.

In 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, leading to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. The blast destroyed most of the city and killed as many as 140,000 people.

Sixty-nine-year-old Hiroshima survivor Nagayama Iwao says “any use of the atom (bomb) should be forbidden, even for intimidation.”