{"id":8929,"date":"2025-06-21T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/?p=8929"},"modified":"2025-06-24T23:41:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T14:41:45","slug":"from-deterrence-to-disarmament-global-advocates-call-for-justice-and-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/sdgs-2\/from-deterrence-to-disarmament-global-advocates-call-for-justice-and-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"From Deterrence to Disarmament: Global Advocates Call for Justice and Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By Katsuhiro Asagiri <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SANTA BARBARA\/Tokyo (INPSJ) <\/strong>\u2014 Marking 80 years since the dawn of the nuclear age, peace advocates, diplomats, educators, and atomic bomb survivors from around the world gathered for the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagingpeace.org\/choose-hope-symposium-2025\/\">\u201cChoose Hope\u201d symposium<\/a><\/strong> on March 12\u201313, 2025, in Santa Barbara, California. Co-organized by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) and Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the event was held at the Music Academy of the West.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"874\" src=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-1024x874.jpg\" alt=\"Tomohiko Aishima of SGI opens the symposium with reflections on the dialogue between Daisaku Ikeda and David Krieger, which he witnessed during his time as a reporter at Seikyo Shimbun\u3000Credit: SGI\" class=\"wp-image-8931\" style=\"width:350px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-1024x874.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-300x256.jpg 300w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-768x656.jpg 768w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-1536x1311.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-150x128.jpg 150w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-696x594.jpg 696w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima-1068x912.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-Mr.-Aishima.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tomohiko Aishima of SGI opens the symposium with reflections on the dialogue between Daisaku Ikeda and David Krieger, which he witnessed during his time as a reporter at Seikyo Shimbun\u3000Credit: SGI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The symposium was inspired by the 2001 dialogue book <em>Choose Hope<\/em> co-authored by NAPF founder David Krieger and SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, revisiting the ethical and strategic urgency of nuclear abolition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is not just about legacy,\u201d said Dr. Ivana Nikoli\u0107 Hughes, president of NAPF. \u201cWe are here to continue the journey they started and to build a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tomohiko Aishima, Director of Peace Affairs at SGI, recalled witnessing their dialogue firsthand: \u201cWhat impressed me most was that their dialogue was not merely about ideals\u2014it was a call to action, rooted in practical solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Warning Against Nuclear Deterrence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignleft is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"yX2XfmoIsyQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"20th Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity&#039;s Future \u2014 Annie Jacobsen\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yX2XfmoIsyQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annie Jacobsen, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of&nbsp;<em>Nuclear War: A Scenario<\/em>&nbsp;delivers the 20th Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity\u2019s Future at the start of the symposium. Credit:Nuclear Age Peace Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the keynote lecture, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author Annie Jacobsen posed the question, \u201cWhat happens if nuclear deterrence fails?\u201d Drawing from confidential interviews with U.S. government and military insiders, Jacobsen warned: \u201cNo matter how it begins, nuclear war will end in total annihilation.\u201d She explained that once a nuclear exchange is triggered, retaliatory strikes could spread globally within just seven minutes, leading to uncontrollable destruction and the collapse of human civilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a following panel, moderated by Dr. Hughes, Princeton University\u2019s Professor Emeritus Richard Falk, Dr. Jimmy Hara of Physicians for Social Responsibility\u2013Los Angeles (PSR-LA), Professor Peter Kuznick of American University, and ICAN Executive Director Melissa Parke addressed policy transformations urgently needed to prevent such a catastrophe.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"218\" src=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/TPNW_Treaty_signed-Sept2017-300x218-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, signed 20 September 2017 by 50 United Nations member states. Credit: UN Photo \/ Paulo Filgueiras\" class=\"wp-image-4062\" style=\"width:328px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/TPNW_Treaty_signed-Sept2017-300x218-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/TPNW_Treaty_signed-Sept2017-300x218-1-150x109.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, signed 20 September 2017 by 50 United Nations member states. Credit: UN Photo \/ Paulo Filgueiras<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>On the second day, SGI\u2019s Director for Disarmament and Human Rights, Chie Sunada, moderated the session titled \u201cFrom Deterrence to Disarmament: The Path Forward.\u201d She warned against the increasing role of nuclear weapons in national security doctrines and reported: \u201cAt the Third Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, it was reaffirmed that nuclear deterrence itself is a threat to human survival.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ambassador Elayne Whyte, who presided over the 2017 UN negotiations that adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), emphasized the need for sincere dialogue, even with those who hold opposing views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Listening to Testimony<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"235\" height=\"258\" src=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/547px-Nagasaki_1945_-_Before_and_after_adjusted.jpg\" alt=\"Nagasaki, Japan, before and after the atomic bombing of August 9, 1945.\/ Public Domain\" class=\"wp-image-8933\" style=\"width:242px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/547px-Nagasaki_1945_-_Before_and_after_adjusted.jpg 235w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/547px-Nagasaki_1945_-_Before_and_after_adjusted-150x165.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nagasaki, Japan, before and after the atomic bombing of August 9, 1945.\/ Public Domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Atomic bomb survivor Masako Wada from Nagasaki (representing Nihon Hidankyo) addressed the symposium via video message, urging participants to \u201ccontinue telling the truth about the horrors of the bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary Dickson, a thyroid cancer survivor and U.S. \u201cdownwinder\u201d affected by nuclear testing, declared: \u201cWe were deliberately exposed. Justice is needed not only for us, but for victims in the Marshall Islands, Kazakhstan, Polynesia, and everywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the session \u201cLegacy of Nuclear Use and Testing: A Call for Justice,\u201d SGI United Nations Office Disarmament Program Coordinator Anna Ikeda shared testimony on the health effects, stigma, and trauma experienced by victims. \u201cNuclear justice means establishing the collective understanding that the use, testing, or threat of nuclear weapons can never be justified,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Togzhan Kassenova presented findings on the intergenerational health effects stemming from Soviet-era nuclear tests in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. Christian Ciobanu, representing Kiribati and NAPF, proposed establishing an international fund for victim assistance and environmental remediation. Veronique Christory of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stressed the importance of humanitarian principles in disarmament efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"754\" src=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-1024x754.jpg\" alt=\"Anna Ikeda of SGI (center) speaks as a panelist on the second panel discussion, \u201cLegacy of Nuclear Use and Testing: A Call for Justice\u201d\u3000Credit: SGI\" class=\"wp-image-8934\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-1024x754.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-768x565.jpg 768w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-1536x1131.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-150x110.jpg 150w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-696x512.jpg 696w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2-1068x786.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anna Ikeda of SGI (center) speaks as a panelist on the second panel discussion, \u201cLegacy of Nuclear Use and Testing: A Call for Justice\u201d\u3000Credit: SGI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Intersection with Climate Justice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final panel, \u201cThe Intersection of Climate and Nuclear Justice: Empowering Youth for Change,\u201d was moderated by SGI Disarmament Program Coordinator Miyuki Horiguchi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anduin Devos of NuclearBan.US reflected on how concern over the climate crisis led her to become involved in the anti-nuclear movement. \u201cResources spent on nuclear weapons should be redirected to address climate solutions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young activists Kevin Chiu and Viktoria Lokh spoke on the importance of integrating youth voices into nuclear policy discussions. Horiguchi cited a Native American proverb\u2014\u201cWe do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children\u201d\u2014and a quote from <em>Choose Hope<\/em>: \u201cHope is another name for youth,\u201d emphasizing the unique power of young people to open new eras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"783\" src=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-1024x783.jpg\" alt=\"Miyuki Horiguchi of SGI (left) moderates the final panel discussion, \u201cThe Intersection of Climate and Nuclear Justice: Empowering Youth for Change\u201d Credit: SGI\" class=\"wp-image-8935\" srcset=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-1024x783.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-768x588.jpg 768w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-1536x1175.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-150x115.jpg 150w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-696x532.jpg 696w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium-1068x817.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Choice-of-Hope-symposium.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Miyuki Horiguchi of SGI (left) moderates the final panel discussion, \u201cThe Intersection of Climate and Nuclear Justice: Empowering Youth for Change\u201d Credit: SGI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Art as a Catalyst for Change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Film director Andrew Davis and artist Stella Rose discussed the role of art in inspiring awareness and action. \u201cArt doesn\u2019t just reflect truth\u2014it makes us feel it, and move us to act,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The symposium\u2019s final declaration also underscored the role of culture and creativity in promoting peace and deepening empathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Declaration: Choosing Hope<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nuclear-abolition.com\/language\/full-text-choose-hope-symposium-declaration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The\u00a0<\/a><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nuclear-abolition.com\/language\/full-text-choose-hope-symposium-declaration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Choose Hope Declaration<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>was published after the symposium. With the Doomsday Clock set at \u201c89 seconds to midnight,\u201d the declaration warned that a nuclear-free world is possible only through intentional and collective choices. \u201cWe choose hope over despair,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This article is brought to you by <a href=\"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/\">INPS Japan<\/a>\u00a0in collaboration with <a href=\"https:\/\/sgi-peace.org\/\">Soka Gakkai International<\/a>, in consultative status with the UN\u2019s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Katsuhiro Asagiri SANTA BARBARA\/Tokyo (INPSJ) \u2014 Marking 80 years since the dawn of the nuclear age, peace advocates, diplomats, educators, and atomic bomb survivors from around the world gathered for the \u201cChoose Hope\u201d symposium on March 12\u201313, 2025, in Santa Barbara, California. Co-organized by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) and Soka Gakkai International [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,56,16,32,3,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-global-regions","8":"category-goal16","9":"category-news","10":"category-regions","11":"category-sdgs-2","12":"category-un-civil-society"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8929"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8957,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8929\/revisions\/8957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}