The articles "Nobel Peace Prize says to Korea nuke players: We are watching" (in the Oct. 8 edition) and "Empress Michiko praises ICAN's Nobel Peace Prize" (Oct. 21) made me ponder the crises and peace of our world.
If any nation of the world uses nuclear weapons first, can any world leader stop the great danger of total nuclear war?
Is killing not only huge numbers of our fellow human beings, but also animals, plants, birds, trees, flowers and everything else justifiable? All of are our friends are in this same spaceship called the Earth. Do we have the right to kill them together with us?
Empress Michiko states that "it is most significant that, owing to the efforts of the atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki over many long years, the world seems to have finally turned its attention to the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, and the horrifying consequences once they are used ... the hearts of Japan's atomic bomb survivors have never been directed toward retaliation. ..."
Sadly, today we live under a nuclear war threat. What should we do for the future of humankind now? We must be strong and wise enough to destroy nuclear weapons totally before nuclear weapons destroy us totally.
In Hiroshima, at the time of dropping of the bomb was around 6,000 C under the blast. One victim, sitting on stone steps 260 meters from the hypocenter, left only a shadow.
Every world leader of today and tomorrow should be expected to make the utmost efforts toward creating a world free of nuclear weapons. Using a weapon of mass destruction is directly linked with the doom of the entire planet.
I have heard a story that in a particular house before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, all the birds and goldfishes kept there suddenly died. The cat also soon disappeared, then the parrot died, and finally the beloved dog left the home and never returned. The owner thought later that all of them must have known what was coming and killed themselves or disappeared.
I believe that all of us are watching around the world, praying to save the Earth. And I imagine all our friends on Earth, the creatures and plants, are also watching and praying.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.