President Vladimir Putin
Russian Federation

In a televised address to the Russian people on September 21, you threatened the member states of NATO with the use of nuclear weapons, saying, “When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will use all the means at our disposal… This is not a bluff.” We categorically protest against your repeated nuclear threat.

As the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki clearly showed, the use of nuclear weapons would only bring about mass destruction and catastrophic humanitarian consequences. Nuclear weapons are “weapons of evil,” designed only for “annihilation,” which will not allow humans to die as human beings or live as human beings. Either their possession or use is totally unacceptable.

Your statement poses a serious challenge to peace and survival of human race. It brutally ignores the UN Charter, the rule of peace based on it, as well as the international agreements on the elimination of nuclear weapons

The invasion against a sovereign state and the expansion of territory is a clear violation of the UN Charter. You should stop aggression against Ukraine and immediately withdraw all the Russian troops.

As a peace movement of the A-bombed country, we strongly protest your statement, and urge you to observe the UN Charter and the principle of peaceful settlement of conflicts, and to work for a total elimination of nuclear weapons in a sincere manner.

September 22, 2022

Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo)