Atomic bomb survivors worried Trump administration could hinder efforts abolish nuclear weapons

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Survivors of US nuclear bombings on Tuesday expressed concern over this week’s inauguration of President Donald Trump, fearing his administration could hinder efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons, Kyodo News reported.

“Trump did not say anything about world peace or nuclear weapons during his inauguration speech," said Masao Tomonaga, chief of the Hibakusha Community Center in Nagasaki, Japan, the only country hit by a nuclear bomb, in 1945.

"He has a nuclear button, and I can't imagine how he might handle it," Tomonaga added.

Toshiyuki Mimaki, head of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, said that he would like Trump to attend the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima – which suffered the first A-bomb attack – in order to “see the reality of being exposed to atomic bombs.”

The Hibakusha group, known for their efforts to achieve a nuclear-free world, last year won the Nobel Peace Prize.

During World War II, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killing 140,000 people.

Three days later, another bomb hit Nagasaki, killing an additional 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, ending World War II.