Is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe truly willing to play an active role in ridding the world of nuclear arms?
That was the question posed by atomic bomb survivors, mayors and peace activists at a series of events Tuesday and Friday commemorating the 68th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Referring to Japan's recent failure to back an international statement rejecting the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances, Masayuki Yamada, a 72-year-old hibakusha from Nagasaki, said Friday: "Japan is the only atomic-bombed country. It has to sign it first.