広島市原爆死没者慰霊式並びに平和祈念式における知事あいさつについて

広島市原爆死没者慰霊式並びに平和祈念式における知事あいさつについて

　毎年８月６日，広島市において，原爆死没者の霊を慰め，世界の恒久平和を祈念するための式典が執り行われています。
　平成２９年８月６日に実施された式典における広島県知事の「あいさつ」は次のとおりです。

  【あ  い  さ  つ】

 　原爆犠牲者の御霊(みたま)に，広島県民を代表して，謹んで哀悼の誠(まこと)を捧げますとともに，今なお，後遺症で苦しんでおられる被爆者や，ご遺族の方々に，心からお見舞い申し上げます。

 　今年も8月6日を迎えました。あの日以来，72回目の夏です。

　「原爆という言葉を聞くのもいや，話すのもいや。原爆という言葉を聞くと，熱い鉄板を押し当てられたようなあの瞬間が甦(よみがえ)ってくる」

　爆心地から1.4km離れた屋外で被爆し，夏服の皮膚が露出した部分は火傷を負い，苦しみで50日間は眠れなかったという女性が書かれた手記に残されています。

　「原爆の日」は，多くの被爆者にいや応なく，「熱い鉄板を押し当てられたような」記憶を呼び起こし，それを72回も繰り返して今日を迎えています。

　このような思いを抱えてこられた被爆者の方々が，近年，封印してきた記憶の証言を改めて始めておられます。

　それは，年を取る中で，今誰かに伝えなければ伝える機会を失ってしまうという焦りと同時に，核兵器廃絶への道筋が，72年の歳月を経ても，未だに見えてこないという歯がゆさからきているように思われます。

　思い出したくもない記憶を語ることで，被爆者自身が得をすることは何一つありません。それでもなお，被爆者を突き動かしているのは，「二度と，誰にもこのような思いをさせたくない」という気持ちです。

　私たちは，被爆者の訴えが示す真実を，どこまで本当に認識できているでしょうか。

　辛くても伝えなければならないとは，逆に言えば，被爆者をそう駆り立てるまでに原爆の地獄というものが凄(すさ)まじかったということに他なりません。地獄。人間の生の全体的破壊。「誰にもこのような思いをさせてはならない。」究極の非人道的兵器である核兵器をめぐる政策は，このような現実に立脚しなければなりません。

　「究極の状況では，核兵器の使用も排除されない」というのは，核兵器使用の現実を知らない，誤った政策です。絶対に使わない，という前提に立つことが必要です。

　昨年，オバマ大統領は，ここ広島で，未来において，広島と長崎が，核時代の始まった場所ではなく，人類が道徳的に目覚めた場所として記憶されなければならない，とスピーチされました。その後，私たちはどれだけ歩みを進められたでしょうか。

　先月，被爆者の苦痛に言及する核兵器禁止条約が，122か国の賛成により採択されました。一方で，核兵器国の一部は，核の近代化を図るとともにその戦力強化を叫んでおり，条約には参加するどころか反発を強めています。また，北朝鮮は核兵器開発の手を止めようともしていません。

　現状では，核兵器国と非核兵器国の分断が広がると同時に核兵器の拡散は進み，「覚醒」はむしろ遠のいていないでしょうか。

　安全保障環境が厳しいと言われている今こそ，いかなる核兵器使用も地獄を作り出すだけである，という現実に立ち返り，絶対に使わないことを最終的に保証する唯一の手段である「廃絶」に向けて，人類の叡智を集めるときです。

　日本政府には，この地獄の現実を潜(くぐ)り抜けた唯一の国として，そのリーダーとなっていただきたい。核兵器国と非核兵器国の分断を埋め，核兵器廃絶への道のりを全ての国の力で進んでいくために必要な，具体的な提案と行動を提示することをお願い申し上げます。

　私たちはオバマ大統領が指摘したように，恐怖の論理，すなわち神話に過ぎない核抑止論から脱却し，「核兵器のない平和」というあるべき現実に転回しなければなりません。

　広島県としても，国際平和拠点ひろしま構想に基づき，核兵器廃絶に向けて世界の知恵を集め，世界の指導者に被爆地訪問を呼びかけるなど，できる限りの行動を取ってまいります。

　結びに，すべての被爆者に対する責務として，将来の世代に核兵器を廃絶し，誰もが幸せで豊かに暮らせる平和な世界を残すことができるよう，世界の皆様と行動していくとともに，高齢化が進む国内外の被爆者援護の更なる充実に全力を尽くすことを改めてここに誓い，平和へのメッセージといたします。

     平成２９年８月６日

    広島県知事　湯崎　英彦

【Peace Message】

On behalf of the people of Hiroshima Prefecture, I pray for the souls of those who lost their lives in the atomic bombing as I offer my condolences to the bereaved families and express my deepest sympathies to hibakusha who even today still suffer from the after-effects of the bomb.

Once again, August 6th has come; this is the 72nd summer since the day of the atomic bombing. I understand that August 6 reminds many hibakusha of their past memories.

There was one woman that day who was 1.4 kilometers distant from the hypocenter. Her skin was burnt except for the parts covered by her summer clothing. Because of the pain, she was unable to sleep for the next 50 days.

She wrote: “I hate to hear the term atomic bomb or to talk about it. The term reminds me of the moment of terror, the moment I felt as if I had been pressed with a hot iron plate.”

On every anniversary of the atomic bombing, many hibakusha recall the pain of being pressed with a hot iron plate. They have repeated the recalling of that pain at least 72 times.

Recently, increasing numbers of hibakusha have begun to testify their own experiences by breaking a tight seal from their past memories.

As they age, they feel the urge to tell their experiences to someone. They know that otherwise they would lose the opportunity to share their experiences. At the same time, it seems to me that they are driven by their frustration that the path to nuclear abolition still remains invisible even after 72 years of the first bombing.

There is no advantage whatsoever for hibakusha to talk about their firsthand experiences, which they never like to recall. Yet, they have begun to talk, driven by their inner desire that no one should ever have to suffer what they went through.

How much do we understand the reality of the atomic bombing described by hibakusha?

They feel that they must convey the facts even though this involves great pain.  This means that the hell caused by the atomic bombing was so tremendous that it drives hibakusha to speak out. The hell, the annihilation of human lives, and their determination that no one should ever have to suffer what they went through. Nuclear policy, which deals with the ultimate inhumane weapon, must be based on full recognition of this reality.

It is wrong to believe that the use of nuclear weapons should not be ruled out in an extreme situation. Such a misguided view reflects ignorance of the reality that use of nuclear weapons can create. We must firmly stand on the premise that we shall never use them.

Last year, President Obama gave a speech here in Hiroshima, saying, “That is the future we can choose, a future in which Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known not as the dawn of atomic warfare, but as the start of our own moral awakening.”

How much progress did we make after this speech was delivered?

Last month, 122 countries voted to approve the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which refers to the suffering of hibakusha. On the other hand, some nuclear states not only refused to sign the treaty, but actively opposed it, arguing that they will actually modernize their nuclear weaponry to reinforce its power. Moreover, North Korea shows no intention to stop its nuclear development.

In this situation, the variance between nuclear states and non-nuclear states has widened and nuclear proliferation is advancing concurrently. This means we are not approaching a “moral awakening,” but receding from it.

Because of the present severe international security environment, we must recognize the reality that any use of nuclear weapons would create a hell, and utilize the collective wisdom of people of the world to promote total nuclear abolition, which is the only means to guarantee nonuse of nuclear weaponry.

 In this regard, I ask the Japanese government to exert leadership in this initiative, as it represents the one nation on earth that has suffered the hell created by the atomic bomb. I ask the government to advocate and carry out concrete measures to resolve the variance between nuclear and non-nuclear states, and to advance along the path toward total nuclear abolition, involving all countries in the world.

As suggested by President Obama, we must abandon the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, which comprises a theory of terror that is nothing but a myth. We must turn to reality, and pursue a peaceful world without nuclear weapons.

In line with the Hiroshima for Global Peace Plan, Hiroshima Prefecture will continue to pursue nuclear abolition. To this end, we will take all possible actions, including gathering wisdom from around the world and encouraging world leaders to visit the sites of the atomic bombings.

I would like to conclude my peace message by vowing here today, as my duty to all hibakusha, to work together with the people of the world to abolish nuclear weapons and leave for future generations a peaceful world where everyone can lead an enriched and happy life. I also pledge to do my best to enhance our support for the aging hibakusha living both within and outside Japan.

 August 6th, 2017

Hidehiko Yuzaki

Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture