women and peace

Satomi Oba, Japan


We miss, honor and support the work of Satomi Oba

The loss of Satomi Oba in February 2005 was a terrible shock. This Japanese sister, link for so many between their countries and Japan and Asia, was a dedicated international worker for a peaceful future, mother of four, teacher, and dear friend. She was struck down at age 54 by a cerebral hemorrhage. Her work lives on in the many lives she has touched. The list of organizations she was part of, and their tributes to her, reflect her untiring life's work.


Satomi was a member of our
Women and Life on Earth Advisory Board
since its formation in 1999, with this description:
A long-time anti-nuclear activist with particular concerns for human rights and justice, Satomi Oba is Director of Plutonium Action Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. She is a regional activist involved with “Abolition 2000” and other regional and international coalitions and efforts – and also an English teacher.

The other networks she was active in include:

WISE - World Information Service on Energy

Nuclear Information and Resource Service (read their tribute here)

Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

Reaching Critical Will Read their tribute to Satomi.

The Atomic Mirror; A tribute to Satomi :
..."
Japan has the custom of honoring people as National Treasures. Satomi was an International Treasure. We remember and honor her strong spirit and ceaseless work to get rid of nuclear weapons, nuclear power and weapons in space. We remember her love for the world, and her appreciation of its beauty..."

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005
Shuji Imamoto wrote:

Dear Green friends,

I am deeply sorry to let you all know Ms Satomi Oba, president of Plutonium Action Hiroshima, as well as chair member of Abolition 2000, who acted a chairperson of peace-building session in AP Greens Kyoto meeting, passed away on Thursday, February 24th, around 4 pm.

She was a famous for a strong anti-nuclear activist living in Hiroshima and very active in spreading latest situations regarding global nuclear issues, as a coordinator of WISE Japan. She has often joined a lot of international conferences on anti-nuclear movement, such as NPT Conference. She has made various actions with many friends and activists all over the world, for many years. She has translated "Bush's Star Wars" video and many many books and articles. The video she edited won the Universal Peace Prize by Global Network. Her funeral took place in Hiroshima last night, the cremation will be the following morning. She will be throughly missed by many people in the planet.



http://space4peace.blogspot.com/2005/02/we-remember-our-dear-friend-satomi-oba.html
Global Network: We remember our dear friend Satomi Oba.
(Photos by Aurel Duta)
Satomi's work was among the first published by WLOE in our "Voices of Women" series.

Japan Summer 2004 (pdf format, 7 pages)
In this report Satomi Oba, a long-time anti-nuclear activist with particular concerns for human rights and justice, presents a personal overview of current issues in her native Japan. She discusses nuclear weapons and power, the international campaign to halt the militarization of space, and citizen action for peace.

The Lie of the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy:
Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power Plants - Two Sides of the Same Coin

European Trip Report, October 2004 (pdf format, 10 pages)

See also: Nukes and the Japanese society (WISE Women Special, 1999)
"The nuclear system, both military or civil, is one of the most violent ones that patriarchal society has invented and developed. Nuclear power grows particular well in an undemocratic atmosphere..."

Satomi Oba and Hiroshima

Satomi: "I came to Hiroshima when I was a university student in 1969, and here I first learned about the hazards of atomic bombs. I saw lots of photos and heard a lot of stories from survivors. I felt it was very terrible and that we had to stop nuclear weapons. But I also began to question the fact that the people of Hiroshima are active against nuclear weapons but not so active against nuclear power plants.

I started Plutonium Action Hiroshima in 1991 when the shipment of plutonium (from French reprocessing facilities back to Japan) was just starting. So I have been working on the plutonium issue for about 5 years. But before this we had held some actions against nuclear power plants, after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. That accident was very shocking to all of us in Japan, like other parts of the world. But I was aware of the dangers of nuclear power in civilian and military use before the Chernobyl accident. I started my small activity in 1983-84..."

-- "A View From Hiroshima: Japan is Chernobyl" Anna Gyorgy interviews Satomi Oba, Hiroshima 1996