韓国原爆被害者協会陜川支部による日本被団協のノーベル平和賞受賞に関する声明書

The Statement by Hapcheon Branch of the Korean Council of A-bomb Victims on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations

 

The English translation of the statement follows the Japanese version below.

声明書

「日本原水爆被害者団体協議会」ノーベル平和賞受賞をお祝いします。

全く予測できなかったノーベル平和賞受賞で、これまで原爆被害者の苦痛を証言してきた日本原水爆被害者団体者協議会（被団協）の被害者たちの叫びが、日本国内の被爆者たちの問題としてのみ刻印されてはならないでしょう。 さらに、日本の韓半島侵略と戦争加害によるアメリカの原爆投下の原罪である日本の加害責任が免罪されてはなりません。特に、日本政府が唯一の被爆国だと主張し、戦争を起こした加害責任を今回の受賞を機に、日本の二つの顔、特有の排外主義を強化する契機にしないか、実に憂慮されます。 今回の受賞を機に、日本政府は前向きな姿勢で戦争加害と強制動員に対する責任を負って公式謝罪しなければなりません。

アメリカもまた、民間人を対象に反人類的、反生命的な核兵器を投下した行為について公式に謝罪し、賠償しなければなりません。今回の日本被団協の受賞を通じて、地球上の最大の核兵器保有国であるアメリカとロシアの核兵器削減にどのような影響を及ぼすかは分かりませんが、大統領選挙を控えたアメリカやウクライナ戦争を起こしたロシアの核軍縮など、軍事力維持政策に変化のきっかけになることを願って覚醒を促します。

今回の受賞を機に、アメリカやロシア、中国、イスラエルなどの核兵器保有国や韓国、日本などの潜在国は、核兵器そのものを根絶できる国連のTPNW（核兵器禁止条約）を批准することを求めます。 

韓国の原爆被害者は日本に強制動員され、広島と長崎で10万人余りが被爆し、5万人余りが幽明を異にした（亡くなった）世界で2番目に多い被爆者保有国でありながら、世の中にその存在があまり知られていません。 日帝の植民地支配と共に国民の権利と普遍的人権を蹂躙された被害国で、被害者が多いにもかかわらず、日米中心の国内政治秩序の中で徹底的に排除され無視されてきました。その背景には、これまで軍事独裁と形式的民主主義が続き、政府の政策に反した行動をすれば理念として排撃し、原爆被害問題を覆い隠そうとする日米に屈従的な（韓国）政府の態度と、それに怯えた被害者たちのレッドコンプレックスが常在していた過程がありました。

現在、韓国には親が日本に強制動員され、広島と長崎で生を蹂躙されたまま被爆したという理由だけで生まれてから、天刑のような病気を抱え、治癒できない心身の病気を抱えながらも、政府と社会の無関心の中で苦労して生きていく原爆被害者2、3世たちの切々な人生が続いています。原爆被害とその継承された人生は、治癒できない各種疾患が家族歴で、個人的な遺伝疾患として片付けなければならないのか、この世に絶叫で問い返さざるを得ません。強制動員と被爆、2、3世の被爆後遺症継承！ 政府と社会の無関心と差別で苦しい生活を続け、まだ法的な被爆者として定義されていない存在として人生を続けている被爆2、3世の現実では、この国が国民保護と人権が保障された正義の国であり社会なのか？ 問い返さざるを得ないのです。潜在的な被爆者、私たち地球村の人類の皆が直面した現実です。

ロシアのウクライナ侵攻や核兵器使用の懸念、イスラエルのパレスチナ·ガザ地区侵攻、イスラエルとイランの核戦争の懸念、韓半島の核戦争の懸念は単なる杞憂ではなく、いつでも起こり得る現実に近づいているからです。

今回の日本被団協の受賞を機に、一度被爆すれば、その後遺症の苦痛が当代で終わらず、後代にまで不必要な大きな苦痛を生み出しているのが「核」であることを、地球村の市民社会は改めて覚醒し、反核平和に向けた連帯と旗印をさらに上げるべきでしょう。日本被団協はもちろん、世界の被爆者と市民社会の疎通と連帯がより緊密になることを希望します。人類の生命と平和を破壊する戦争と一瞬にして数多くの生命体の大切なすべてのものを奪う核兵器の使用は、これ以上人類の歴史に記録されてはなりません。その切実な人類の願いが今年のノーベル平和賞に込められていると思います。韓国の多くの原爆被害者1世や2世などの子孫や支援団体は、日本被団協の受賞を心から祝い、これを機に韓国の原爆被害者はもちろん、世界の多くの被爆者に絶望から希望の継承として生まれ変われるように関心と声援が多くなることを願っています。また、地球村の核兵器廃棄と原子力発電所が消える「核のない世界」が具現されることを切に願っています。

被爆79周年（2024）10月14日

韓国原爆被害者協会陜川支部長シム·ジンテ 
陜川原爆資料館館長シム·ジンテ  
韓国原爆被害者子孫会会長イ·テジェ
韓国原爆被害者2世患友会会長ハン·ジョンスン
陜川平和の家の院長イ·ナムジェ

（ハングル語原文から日本語への翻訳は都築寿美枝さんによるものです）

 

The Statement

Congratulations to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The unexpected award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations (Nihon Hidankyo) has brought renewed attention to the plight of atomic bomb victims. However, it is imperative that the voices of these survivors, who have bravely testified to the suffering caused by the atomic bombing, should not be interpreted as the sole concern of Japan’s atomic bomb survivors. Furthermore, Japan must not be absolved of its responsibility for the original guilt of the US atomic bombings, which was caused by Japan’s invasion of the Korean peninsula and waging of the Asia-Pacific War. In particular, we are concerned that the Japanese Government may exploit the award as an opportunity to reinforce Japan’s two-faced and exclusionary attitude by claiming to be the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, thereby evading responsibility for causing the war. The Japanese Government must use this award as an opportunity to take a positive stance and make a public apology, accepting responsibility for the perpetration of war and forced mobilization of Koreans.

Moreover, the US is obliged to issue an official apology and implement reparations for its actions in using inhumane and horrendous nuclear weapons against civilian populations. It is currently unclear what impact the award will have on the reduction of nuclear weapons in the US and Russia, the two largest nuclear-weapon states on the planet. This is particularly the case given that the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations has been selected as the recipient of the prize. It is our hope that this will prompt a shift in the US military policy, including nuclear disarmament, in the lead-up to the presidential election. Similarly, it would be desirable for Russia, which was the instigator of the conflict in Ukraine, to adopt a comparable stance.

We urge the US, Russia, China, Israel, and other nuclear-weapon states, as well as potential states such as South Korea and Japan, to seize the opportunity presented by this award to ratify the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The TPNW has the potential to eradicate nuclear weapons.

The Korean atomic bomb victims were forcibly mobilised by Japan, and more than 100,000 were exposed to the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with more than 50,000 having lost their lives. This makes South Korea the second largest country in the world with Hibakusha (A-bomb survivors), yet its existence is not well known to the world. The Korean people have been victimised by the colonial rule of Japanese imperialists, resulting in the violation of their rights as well as universal human rights. Despite the large number of victims, they have been excluded and ignored in the US-Japan-centred domestic political order. This was a consequence of the South Korean government’s prolonged stance in support of the military dictatorship and perfunctory democracy, which was subservient to the US and Japan, and its efforts to conceal the damage caused by the atomic bombings. Furthermore, the Red Complex, which is a common phenomenon among victims, contributed to the fear and anxiety surrounding this process.

The lives of the second and third generations of A-bomb victims in South Korea are characterised by a sense of wistfulness. They continue to live amidst a lack of recognition and support from the government and society. Illnesses, which they perceive as a form of natural punishment, are a significant burden, particularly given that they were born as a result of their parents being forcibly mobilised by Japan and exposed to the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those who have suffered as a result of the atomic bombing and their descendants are compelled to question whether they are destined to live with a range of incurable diseases that could be considered hereditary and therefore classified as personal genetic disorders. The forced mobilisation and exposure to the atomic bombing, and the inheritance of the aftereffects of the bombing by the second and third generations! In light of the ongoing struggles of the second and third generation A-bomb survivors, who continue to face indifference and discrimination from the government and society, and who remain legally unrecognized as Hibakusha, it is imperative to question whether this is a just country and society that upholds the protection of its citizens and their human rights. It is imperative that we pose this question. This is the reality faced by individuals who could potentially be classified as Hibakusha, and indeed by all of us as members of the global human community.

These concerns are not merely unfounded fears; they are approaching a reality that could happen at any time. The potential for a Russian invasion of Ukraine and the use of nuclear weapons, an Israeli invasion of the Palestinian Gaza Strip, fears of nuclear war between Israel and Iran, and nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula are all significant and imminent threats.

The award of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations should serve as an impetus for global civil society to rekindle its commitment to the awareness that exposure to atomic bombs inevitably entails a lifetime of affliction, and that the perpetuation of nuclear weapons is a significant contributor to the perpetuation of unnecessary and immense suffering for future generations. Furthermore, it should serve to reinforce the call for collective action and solidarity in the pursuit of anti-nuclear peace. It is our hope that there will be a greater degree of communication and solidarity between the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations (Nihon Hidankyo) and also between Hibakusha and civil society organisations around the globe. The devastation of war and the utilisation of nuclear weapons, which can annihilate all that is precious to so many forms of life in an instant, must be consigned to the annals of history. It seems reasonable to posit that this earnest wish of humanity is reflected in this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. It is our sincere hope that the descendants of many individuals who were first- and second-generation victims of the atomic bombs, as well as the support groups in South Korea, will celebrate the award of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations in a spirit of sincerity and gratitude. Furthermore, it is our sincere hope that this will be an opportunity to generate much interest and support, not only for the victims of the atomic bombs in South Korea, but also for many other survivors around the world. It is our hope that this will result in a rebirth from despair as a succession of hope for these individuals. Additionally, we hope that nuclear weapons will be abolished from this world and that a “nuclear-free world” will be realised, which will also result in the disappearance of nuclear power stations.

October 14, 2024, the Year of the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings

Sim, Jin Tae (Head of Hapcheon Branch of the Korean Council of A-bomb Victims, Director of Hapcheon A-bomb Museum)

Lee, Tae Jae (President of the Association of Korean A-bomb Victims’ Descendants)

Han, Jeong Sun (President of the Second Generation Sufferers’ Association of Korean A-bomb Victims)

Lee, Nam Jae (Head of Hapcheon Peace House)

 

(translated by Yuki Tanaka)

「日本も米国も朝鮮人被爆者に一度も謝罪しなかった」

“Neither Japan nor the United States have ever apologised to the Korean hibakusha (A-Bomb Survivors.)”

The English translation of this article follows the Japanese version below.

日本原水爆被害者団体協議会の受賞について
広島県朝鮮人被爆者協議会の会長が心境を明らかに
「ハンギョレ新聞日本語版」（2024年10月16日）

https://japan.hani.co.kr/arti/international/51363.html

15日にハンギョレの電話取材を受けた広島県朝鮮人被爆者協議会の金鎮湖（キム・ジンホ）会長（78）は、今年のノーベル平和賞の受賞団体として「日本原水爆被害者団体協議会」（日本被団協）が選ばれたことについて、複雑な心境を示した。金会長は「原爆を投下した米国だけが間違っていたのではなく、植民地朝鮮から無数の朝鮮人を連れて行き、最終的に原爆被害を受けさせた日本政府も責任が大きい」として、このように述べた。

11日にノルウェーのノーベル委員会が日本被団協を今年のノーベル平和賞の受賞団体に選定し、過去70年あまりの間、反核活動を行ってきた同団体に対して、「肉体的な苦しみや痛みを伴う記憶を、平和のための希望と参加に用いることにした生存者を賛えたい」と明らかにした。

しかし、「苦しむ生存者」として朝鮮人被爆者は言及されなかった。日本の石破茂首相と米国のジョー・バイデン大統領のノーベル平和賞の祝賀メッセージにも、戦争当事者だった日本を除くと最多の被爆者である朝鮮人は言及されなかった。

2010年に「対日抗争期強制動員被害調査及び国外強制動員犠牲者等支援委員会」が出した資料によると、原爆によって被爆した朝鮮人の数は、広島で5万人、長崎で2万人と推定される。死者は約4万人と推定されるが、資料の消失のため正確な被害規模は分からない。

このような状況は今回が初めてではない。2016年に米国のバラク・オバマ大統領（当時）は現職の米国大統領として初めて被爆地である広島を訪問し、日本被団協の関係者たちと面会したが、朝鮮半島出身の被爆者は参加できなかった。オバマ大統領は当時、広島平和記念公園の「原爆死没者慰霊碑」に献花したが、同じ方向に位置する「韓国人原爆犠牲者慰霊碑」には立ち寄っていない。

韓国人被爆者が日本人被爆者と同じ医療・生活支援を受けられるようになったのも、被爆者と日本の市民団体が数十年間の困難な闘争の末に成し遂げた成果だった。日本政府は1957年に「原子爆弾被爆者の医療等に関する法律」、1968年に「原子爆弾被爆者に対する特別措置に関する法律」を制定し、医療費と援護手当を被爆者に支給したが、対象を日本国内の居住者に限定し、韓国人を事実上排除した。日本が2つの法律を統合した「原子爆弾被爆者に対する援護に関する法律」を改正し、日本国外に居住する被爆者が日本の在外公館を通じて援護手当を申請できるようになったのは、2008年になってからだった。

しかし、その後も日本と国交が結ばれていない北朝鮮の被爆者は、援護手当の支給対象にすらなっていない。金会長は「北朝鮮でも2008年に調査を終えて、被爆者1900人あまり、生存者380人あまりを確認した」として、「これらの人たちに対する治療と補償は、国籍の問題ではなく人道的な事案」だと強調した。

広島と長崎で朝鮮人被爆者が多かった理由は、多くの朝鮮人が軍需工場の多かった両都市に、強制動員や徴集によって来ていたためだ。二重・三重の被害を受けた朝鮮人被爆者は、日本の法廷でこれに対する被害補償を要求する訴訟を起こしたが、1965年の韓日請求権協定などをもとに、日本の裁判所は受け入れなかった。

これらの人たちに残された時間は長くない。特に「被爆第1世代」の生存者はほとんど残っていない。韓国の国家人権委員会は2005年、存命の被爆者の規模を7500人あまりと推算したが、大韓赤十字の統計では、昨年時点では1834人しか残っていなかった。被爆者は加害国の謝罪・補償とともに「核のない未来」を要求している。

金会長は「日本政府は、犠牲者遺族に後からでも被害を補償し、米国も同様に加害国として必要な措置を取らなければならない」として、「特に日本は核兵器禁止条約（TPNW）に加盟して、原爆被害国かつ戦争加害国として『核のない世界』の先頭に立たなければならない」と訴えた。

一方、韓国の被爆者2世の患者の集まりである「陜川（ハプチョン）平和の家」などの陜川地域にある韓国人被爆者の諸団体は、今年のノーベル平和賞の受賞者として日本被団協が選ばれたことについて、15日にお祝いの声明を発表した。これらの団体は「現在の韓国では、政府と社会の無関心の中で苦しい生活を送っている被爆者2世・3世の悲惨な生活が続いている」として、「日本はもちろん、世界中の被爆者と市民社会とのコミュニケーションと連帯が緊密になることを希望する」と訴えた。

東京/ホン・ソクジェ特派員 (お問い合わせ japan@hani.co.kr)
https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/international/international_general/1162686.html

 

広島県朝鮮人被爆者協議会の金鎮湖会長(ハンギョレ新聞) 

Kim Jin-ho, chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Council of Korean A-Bomb Survivors

 

“Neither Japan nor the United States have ever apologised to the Korean hibakusha (A-Bomb Survivors.)”

In light of the announcement that the Japan Confederation Council of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, the chairman of the Hiroshima Prefecture Council of Korean Atomic Bomb Survivors has expressed his sentiments. He asserts that neither Japan nor the United States has ever offered an apology to the Korean hibakusha.

Hangyeoreh Newspaper (Japanese edition, October 16, 2024)

In a telephone interview with the Hangyeoreh Newspaper on 15 October, Kim Jin-ho, 78, chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Council of Korean Atomic Bomb Survivors, expressed mixed feelings about the selection of the Japan Confederation Council of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations (Nihon Hidankyo) as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Chairman Kim asserted that both the United States, which dropped the atomic bombs, and the Japanese government, which relocated numerous Koreans from colonial Korea to Japan and ultimately subjected them to the atomic bombings, were collectively responsible for the tragedy.

On 11 October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee selected the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations as the recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. In announcing the decision, the Committee informed the organisation, which has been engaged in anti-nuclear activities for approximately seven decades, that its intention was to ‘commend the survivors who have chosen to utilise their physical suffering and painful memories as a source of hope and participation in the pursuit of peace.’

However, Korean hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) were not referenced as "suffering survivors." In their respective congratulatory messages on the conferral of the Nobel Peace Prize, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US President Joe Biden did not acknowledge Koreans, who constitute the largest number of hibakusha, with the exception of Japan, which was a party to the war.

According to data released in 2010 by the Committee for the Investigation of Damage Caused by Forced Mobilisation during the War against Japan and Support for Victims of Overseas Forced Mobilisation, the number of Koreans exposed to the atomic bombs is estimated at 50,000 in Hiroshima and 20,000 in Nagasaki. The estimated death toll is approximately 40,000, however, the precise extent of the damage is uncertain due to the loss of relevant documentation.

This is not the first occasion on which this has occurred. In 2016, the then US President, Barack Obama, became the first incumbent US President to visit the city of Hiroshima, which had been devastated by atomic bombs during World War II. He met with officials from the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organisations. However, atomic bomb survivors from the Korean Peninsula were not permitted to attend. At the time, President Obama offered flowers to the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, but did not stop by the Cenotaph for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, which is located in the same park.

The fact that Korean hibakusha were able to receive the same medical and living assistance as Japanese hibakusha was also a significant achievement, achieved after decades of challenging efforts by hibakusha and Japanese civil society organisations. In 1957, the Japanese government enacted the A-bomb Survivors Medical Treatment Law for A-Bomb Survivors, while in 1968, the Act on Special Measures for Atomic Bomb Survivors was passed. These acts provided medical expenses and relief allowances to hibakusha, but their coverage was limited to residents of Japan, effectively excluding Koreans. It was not until 2008 that Japan amended the Law on Relief for Atomic Bomb Survivors, which combined the two laws and permitted A-bomb survivors residing outside Japan to apply for relief allowances through Japanese diplomatic missions abroad.

Nevertheless, since that time, North Korean hibakusha, with whom Japan has no diplomatic relations, have not even been eligible for relief allowances. Kim underscored that the treatment and compensation of these individuals is a humanitarian concern, not contingent on nationality. He noted that a survey conducted in North Korea in 2008 identified over 1,900 hibakusha and 380 survivors.

The significant number of Korean hibakusha in Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be attributed to the fact that a considerable number of Koreans had been forcibly mobilised and recruited to work in munitions factories in both cities. Korean hibakusha who had sustained multiple damages initiated legal proceedings in Japanese courts, seeking redress for these losses. However, the Japanese courts declined to entertain the case, citing the 1965 Japan-South Korean Claims Settlement Agreement.

The remaining lifespan of these individuals is limited. In particular, the number of survivors of the “first generation” of A-bomb survivors is dwindling. In 2005, the Korean National Human Rights Commission estimated the number of surviving hibakusha to be approximately 7,500. However, statistics from the Korean Red Cross indicate that only 1,834 individuals remained as of last year. The hibakusha are demanding a nuclear-free future, as well as an apology and compensation from the perpetrating countries.

It is imperative that the Japanese government provides compensation to the bereaved families of the victims, regardless of the timing, and that the United States assumes its role as the aggressor state by implementing the necessary measures. In particular, Japan must join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and spearhead the creation of a "world without nuclear weapons," given its status as both an atomic bomb victim and am aggressor state.

Meanwhile, a number of organisations representing Korean hibakusha in the Hapcheon region, including the Hapcheon Peace House, an association of second-generation Korean hibakusha patients, issued a statement of congratulations on 15 October on the selection of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organisations as the winner of this yea’s Nobel Peace Prize. The aforementioned Korean organisations asserted that the unfortunate circumstances of second- and third-generation hibakusha in South Korea persist due to governmental and social apathy. They consequently advocated for enhanced communication and solidarity between hibakusha and civil society in Japan and globally.

(translated by Yuki Tanak)