Two Japanese atomic bomb survivors have appealed for the abolition of nuclear weapons in France, one of the world's nuclear powers.
Eighty-seven-year-old Yahata Teruko and 82-year-old Iida Kunihiko made speeches at an event in Paris on Friday. Both were exposed to radiation when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
Yahata, who was 8 years old at the time, said that she saw many people walking with burned and peeled skin dangling from fingertips. She said they looked like a procession of silent ghosts.
She said that she has been asked if she holds a grudge against the United States, but that she believes people should reflect on their past and move forward.
Yahata warned that with the use of one nuclear bomb, human beings would cease to exist.
Iida said he had lost his mother and sister in the atomic bombing. He said that he is still suffering from serious effects of radiation as he has developed multiple tumors.
Japanese speakers at the event included young activists who are working to keep the memories of aging atomic bomb survivors alive.
A French woman in her 30s said that all the discourse that is in favor of peace is welcome as there is a lot of tension internationally.
Yahata said that she has a sense of responsibility and mission to tell her experience as a citizen of Japan, the only country in the world to suffer atomic bombings.
She added that the nuclear deterrence theory appears to be gaining support in France, but she wants the country to find another solution that does not involve countering a force with a force.