Nearly 70 percent of atomic bomb survivors across Japan felt the Group of Seven summit held in Hiroshima earlier this year made a meaningful contribution toward realizing a nuclear-free world, a recent Kyodo News survey showed.
The 354 respondents of the survey, however, were divided in their views on the Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament statement compiled for the first time by G-7 leaders, with many disappointed that their view that nuclear weapons are "absolute evil" was not reflected in the document.
The statement, which was released after the leaders visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum during the summit in May, did not mention the survivors or the U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, which entered into force in 2021, but supported the possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence.
The most common cited reason by the 246 respondents who attributed significance to the summit, at 59.3 percent, was the opportunity the gathering provided world leaders in understanding the reality of the atomic bombings.
The G-7 groups Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union.
Regarding the Hiroshima Vision statement, 51.7 percent expressed a negative view, with reasons including "no mention of the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" at 59 percent and "endorsement of nuclear deterrence policies of G-7 countries" at 21.3 percent.
Of the 47.5 percent that saw the document positively, 35.7 percent said it "confirmed the commitment to work towards a nuclear-free world as the ultimate goal," while 33.3 percent acknowledged the significance of a document that focused on nuclear disarmament for the first time.
The attendance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was favorably received by 69.3 percent of respondents, with 44.1 percent praising the gathering's strong message that nuclear weapons should never be used again.
In terms of future requests to the Japanese government, 70.3 percent of respondents sought its early ratification of the U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons and participation as an observer in the next conference of parties.
The Kyodo News survey conducted in June and July was sent to around 500 atomic bomb survivors who responded to a previous survey ahead of the summit in February and March, with valid responses received from around 70 percent of them.
According to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare figures as of the end of March, there were 113,649 officially confirmed atomic bomb survivors with their average age at 85.01.
