Japan-US research group to conduct genome analysis of 1st, 2nd gen. A-bomb survivors
April 26, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
This Nov. 3, 2020 photo taken from a Mainichi Shimbun helicopter shows the area surrounding Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in the city s Naka Ward. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura) HIROSHIMA A joint Japan-U.S. research organization which tracks the effects of radiation on atomic bomb survivors has announced that it will analyze the genomes of first- and second-generation hibakusha, or people affected by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), based in the two cities, announced the latest results of its analysis of a survey of birth disorders among second-generation hibakusha in an April 16 online press conference. RERF chair Ohtsura Niwa said, This is necessary to clarify whether they (birth defects) are due to genetic factors.
Senior Vatican official urges nations to ratify nuclear ban treaty: Mainichi interview
January 22, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher is seen in this November 2019 photo. (Mainichi/Hanayo Kuno) HIROSHIMA Ahead of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons going into effect on Jan. 22, the Mainichi Shimbun interviewed Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states of the Vatican the first state to ratify the treaty among 51 countries and regions that have done so. In his written response, Gallagher stated, The ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons is both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative, and called for countries that have not yet joined the treaty to ratify it.
Hiroshima ‘peace clock’ reset to 49 days following US nuclear test
January 19, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) HIROSHIMA –– A clock located in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in this western Japan city was reset from 705 to 49, indicating the number of days that have passed since the latest nuclear test took place a subcritical one carried out by the United States in November 2020.
The adjustment was made on Jan. 18, after it was revealed in a U.S. national laboratory document that a subcritical nuclear experiment was held in November under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The “Chikyu Heiwa Kanshi Dokei (Peace Watch Tower)” had previously displayed the number “705” to mark the number of days that had passed since the subcritical nuclear experiment conducted by the U.S. in February 2019. As the exact date of the latest test in November is unknown, the clock is currently set at “49 days,” under the assumption that the nuclear test was held on the