All the Hiroshima Day Media Releases

media release

Friday 1 August 2014

Japan’s pacific constitution undermined
as Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversary approaches

As the 69^th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki approaches on August 6 and 9 respectively, anti-war activists are appalled by the war like decisions of the Abe Government.

Japanese Prime Ministership Shinzo Abe has led the successful campaign to change his country’s pacifist post war constitution to allow Japanese troops to serve overseas on missions organised by the US.

He regularly visits the Japanese War memorial Yasukuni Shrine and refuses to apologise for the crimes of Japanese troops during WW11.

When Prime Minister Abe visited Australia, the Abbott Government showered praise on him, promoting the idea of a Japan-United States-Australia alliance directed against China.

“We need an Australia that encourages Japan to be more positive in promoting peace and confidence in the region,” Radhika Raju, Chair of the Sydney Hiroshima Day Committee, said.

“It is time to remind Japan about the lesson of nuclear attack on its soil, namely that war does not create peace but leads to more war and more and more terrible weapons of destruction.”

The Hiroshima Day commemoration rally will be held in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Sunday 3 August at 12 noon. It will include Japanese drummers and dancers and Korean drummers.

Speakers will be Dr Helen Caldicott, Ian Rintoul (Refugee Action Coalition), and actor Terry Serio.

For more information, please contact Denis Doherty on 0418 290 663.

media release
 Sunday 3 August 2014

Have we learnt nothing from Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Addressing the annual commemoration of the 1945 atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Dr Helen Caldicott warned of the ever present danger of nuclear war and the need to learn from the annihilation of Hiroshima.

“Nuclear war could occur tonight,” she said, “via computer error or human error induced by heightened international tension such as is taking place in the Ukraine.

“Nuclear winter would ensue causing a short ice age lasting over ten years, during which most living creatures would die from a combination of massive burns, severe blast injury, acute radiation exposure and freezing to death in the cold and the dark.

“Despite popular belief the Cold War is still with us,” Dr Caldicott continued, “as thousands of Russian and American nuclear weapons stand on hair-trigger alert targeting cities, universities and industrial facilities in Australia, Japan, China, Europe, the UK and Russia. Of the 17,000 nuclear weapons in the world Russia and the US own 96 per cent.

“Have we learnt nothing from the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?”

Opening the rally, well known actor Terry Serio* pointed out that “nuclear weapons are the only weapon capable of destroying civilization and the human species.

“The longer nations rely on nuclear weapons, the more likely it is that they will be used, by accident or design.

“The only defence is the abolition of all nuclear weapons.”

The Hiroshima Day commemoration rally will be held in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Sunday 3 August at 12 noon. It will include Japanese drummers and dancers and Korean drummers.

Speakers will be Dr Helen Caldicott, Ian Rintoul (Refugee Action Coalition),  and actor Terry Serio.

For more information, please contact Denis Doherty on 0418 290 663 or Dr Helen Caldicott on 0400370414.

*  Terry Serio’s film roles include Running on Empty, He Died With a Felafel In His Hand and Dirty Deeds. On television he has appeared in well-known productions including Shout! The Story of Johnny O’Keefe (receiving an AFI Award nomination for Best Actor), Police Rescue, Blue Heelers, Water Rats, Wildside and Stingers. Terry played the roles of Bob Hawke and John Howard in Keating! which earned him the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.

lmedia release

Saturday, 2 August 2014

Stop the wars, not the boats

"The connection between war and refugees has never been clearer,” Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition said at the August 3 rally in Hyde Park to commemorate the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

“Tens and hundreds of thousands of people have fled war and devastation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Sri Lanka.

“In so many places the Australian government itself has supported repressive regimes or been part of the invading forces that haves created the refugees,” he said.

“Instead of providing protection, the government itself is using military force to turn asylum seekers away.

“If the government was truly concerned about the welfare of refugees it would be stopping the wars and stopping the war games, not stopping the boats," Mr Rintoul said.

The annual rally commemorates the 140,000 Japanese men, women and children who were incinerated by an atomic bomb dropped by the United States at 8.15am on 6 August 1945.

“Today, all our hopes and plans for the future exist under the shadow of a catastrophic threat – one that could kill millions of people in a few moments and leave civilization in shambles,” said Radhika Raju, Chair of the Sydney Hiroshima Day Committee.

“Although there are other threats, such as global warming, it is nuclear weapons that are the greatest immediate danger confronting our species.

“The only defence is the abolition of all nuclear weapons.”

The Hiroshima Day commemoration rally will be held in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Sunday 3 August at 12 noon. It will include Japanese drummers and dancers and Korean drummers.

Speakers will be Dr Helen Caldicott, Ian Rintoul (Refugee Action Coalition), and actor Terry Serio.

For more information, please contact Denis Doherty on 0418 290 663 or Ian Rintoul on 0417 275 713

Visit our website:  www.hiroshimacommittee.org