A 91-year-old atomic bomb survivor told reporters in Hiroshima on Sunday that she was disappointed there was no mention of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in the statement on the nuclear disarmament the G7 leaders released during their summit.
Setsuko Thurlow, who now lives in Canada, was about 1.8 kilometers from ground zero and was exposed to radiation from the explosion when she was 13.
For more than half a century, she has been calling for abolishing nuclear weapons around the world. She gave a speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony when the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, was awarded the prize in 2017.
Thurlow said she felt the statement "G7 Leaders' Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament" did not mention their feelings.
She said the people of Hiroshima had hoped that the leaders would understand the significance of the summit being held in the city, visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and see what the people in the city went through.
Thurlow said she was surprised that the statement did not include a single word about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that actually exists in the international community.
She said she was also disappointed that the statement only carried things that had been discussed in the past, despite the leaders having the opportunity to meet atoic bomb survivors, visit the museum and think.
Thurlow added that she does not feel the G7 summit in Hiroshima created momentum for the people and the government to work together toward abolishing nuclear weapons.
She stressed that she hopes the leaders will not let the G7 summit end as a celebration, but keep up the momentum toward abolishing nuclear weapons.