Issa Souther

I took part in the Hiroshima G7 Summit Junior Conference as a representative of Japanese youth. Together with youth from the G7 countries, we discussed the challenges facing the world, including environmental, political and social issues, and produced an outcome document that summarizes our thoughts and ideas. It included our desire for Japan to participate in the Meetings of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), even if as an observer; and our views on the role that youth should play in addressing the challenges and the actions that the government should take. On April 5, 2023, I handed the outcome document to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. I felt some sense of accomplishment, hoping that our work would be put to good use at the subsequent G7 Summit.

A month later, the G7 Summit was convened. I felt disappointed and even betrayed. Most of the issues we raised in the outcome document had not even been addressed. I also believed that no progress had been made on the problems that are happening in society today and that need immediate solutions. In addition, the “G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament,” adopted at the Summit, contained positive statements about nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence. Many Hibakusha were also discouraged. Furthermore, although the G7 Summit had been positioned as a meeting to promote peace, it did not discuss any ceasefire in the ongoing Russian–Ukrainian war. Instead, it was used as a forum for the provision of arms to the Ukrainian military. Did the historic G7 Summit held in Hiroshima, the city of the atomic bombing, turn into just an anti-Russia/China meeting? Do they really want peace, or have they just exacerbated the existing divisions of the world? The pledge and thought of “No More Hiroshima,” as well as wishes of the Hibakusha, had been completely ignored. I had thought that when world leaders visited Hiroshima and witnessed its tragic history, they would understand how inhumane nuclear weapons are, and would realize that no one should possess the power to inflict the kind of destruction experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In retrospect, perhaps it was naive of me to hold such hopes.

The G7 Summit did not yield the changes at the governmental level that I had anticipated. However, one thing has become clearer: the change depends on us, the people, and our communities. Despite the disappointing outcomes from the G7 Summit, I was able to connect with my peers at the Junior Conference. Meeting with like-minded youth from different countries has been a great inspiration to me. I used to wonder what would happen if I acted alone, but now I feel like I am part of a community of people who share a simple goal: to build a brighter future. I have become convinced that one person cannot bring about great change alone, but that community is essential—a community of people who share ideas, take action, and create small changes. When looking at major changes in the world, many of them are based on community movements. I believe that the issue of nuclear abolition will have a bright future if we continue to work together with our friends and press our claims for it.

 

 

Senior year, Takeda High School