I am currently engaged in preparing for the World Congress of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) to be held in Nagasaki, one of the cities destroyed by an atomic bomb, with the participation of IPPNW members from around the world. This will be the third World Congress to be held in Japan and the first in Nagasaki, and as I work on the preparations I am looking forward to meeting many of you there.

I believe that the fact that this World Congress will be held on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing is highly significant. The desire of its citizens that Nagasaki should be the last place ever to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, and the unwavering efforts by the atomic bomb victims and our other predecessors in the IPPNW to make the use of nuclear weapons a taboo, may well have contributed to preventing nuclear-armed countries from having pressed the nuclear button during the past 80 years.

As we all know, today the world is in confusion. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appears to have the potential to develop into a conflict that engulfs parties as far away as North Korea. Israel’s attacks on Gaza are pulling in other countries in the Middle East. The United States has chosen to re-elect President Trump. It appears that our world is heading into a cul-de-sac, with no one able to see what lies ahead.

In the midst of this situation, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I feel that the effects of this award will ripple outwards, and that their rays of light will kindle a flame in the hearts of many around the world. Japanese high school students working for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons are gathering signatures in Nagasaki and throughout Japan. Their watchword is “We may be weak, but we are not powerless.” Japanese medical students have also started preparing for this World Congress. I believe that these small circles are in the process of expanding and uniting into one great circle.

The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to IPPNW in 1985 was followed by its award to the Pugwash Conference and to ICAN before it was won by Hidankyo in 2024. At the coming World Congress, I hope that these four organizations will gather in one room, review their past efforts, and engage in discussions to shed light on where we are headed. It is my prayer that we will all take the opportunity of this World Congress to work together to achieve peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons , so that Nagasaki will actually be the last place ever to be destroyed by an atomic bomb. I hope to see as many as possible of you there.