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Nuclear Abolition Events in Denmark and Taiwan

photo Former IAEA director general Hans Blix speaks in Copenhagen  [© Seikyo Shimbun]

A symposium entitled "Strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)" was held in Copenhagen on November 17. The event was cosponsored by SGI-Denmark and the Danish Committee of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Pugwash Denmark) whose chair John Avery gave an address welcoming, among others, 150 peace scholars, activists and ambassadors.

Hans Blix, former IAEA director general, and Holger K. Nielsen, former leader of the Danish Socialist People's Party, delivered keynote speeches and took part in question-and-answer sessions. In his lecture on "Disarmament After the U.S. Election," Mr. Blix referred to President Barack Obama's positive stance toward nuclear abolition and disarmament, while Mr. Nielsen urged politicians worldwide to cooperate on antinuclear issues to build a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons.

photo At the Culture of Peace exhibition in Taiwan  [© TSA]

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda sent a message voicing concern that despite the passing of 63 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the dangers of nuclear proliferation remain. In highlighting the necessity of constructive discussions in ridding humanity of the ever-present threat of nuclear weapons, he encouraged a resurgence of the fundamental spirit of the NPT, which appeals for efforts to avoid nuclear wars and measures for securing people's safety.

Aiming to encourage just such a voice and raise awareness among students, Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) arranged for the SGI exhibition "From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit" to be shown at one of Taiwan's top universities, the National Taiwan University (NTU), from November 15-23. Present at the opening were NTU Vice Presidents Bau Tzong-Ho and Chen Tai-Jen George, and Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng. Mr. Wang commented that hosting the exhibition, which examines the issue of nuclear weapons from the standpoint of human security, provides students with an opportunity to ponder peace and nonviolence. Some 3,000 people visited the exhibition, which has now toured 30 venues in Taiwan and been viewed by more than 80,000 people there.

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