JAPANESE PROTEST

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28258, 22 April 1957, Page 11

JAPANESE PROTEST

Ban Sought On Tests (Rec. 11 p.m.) TOKYO, April 20. More than 100,000 Japanese attended public protest meetings against nuclear bomb tests throughout Japan today. In Tokyo more than 4000 people gathered at Shimizudani Park and adopted resolutions calling for an immediate halt to the planned British tests around Christmas Island, the suspension of United States and Soviet tests and for an international agreement to ban nuclear weapons.

After the meeting, delegations visited the United States, British and Soviet Embassies demanding the cessation of nuclear tests and the opening of negotiations for the prohibition of these tests. The meeting also adopted a resolution to send an international protest fleet to the Christmas Island area to stop the forthcoming British tests. The Japan Council Against A and H-Bombs earlier today announced that its executive was unable to reach a final decision on sending a protest fleet or ship. Objections to the council’s plan were possible danger to human life, high cost, no co-operation from seamen and lack of interest by, the Japanese Government and public. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two cities bombed in 1945. thousands of citizens attended meetings addressed by city mayors and prefectual governors. Altogether protest meetings were held at 12 main cities throughout Japan this afternoon and evening.

Comment By Menzies

BANGKOK, April 19. Australia had no objection whatsoever to Britain’s hydrogen bomb tests, the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Menzies) said today. Speaking at a press conference on the first day of his three-day visit to Thailand. Mr Menzies attacked the Communist attitude over the bomb tests. He said: “I can’t for the life of me understand why, if a nation of the free world cannot explode a bomb in the middle of the ocean, it is quite a good thing for the Soviet Union to carry out four tests in a week.” Mr Menzies said: “It sounds too much like propaganda to have any effect on our minds at all. As long as these terrible weapons are in existence. I hope the free world will continue to improve them faster than the Communists. “We are never against any proposal that Britain should carry out such tests. The Soviet Union says piously, ‘This is terrible,’ and then goes oh conducting experiments at the rate of four to one.” Cotton Ration.—The ration of cotton cloth in Communist China —at present about 24Jft a year for each person—is to be cut by at least 16 per cent, because of poor harvests and over-consump-tion. Peking newspapers today published the decision, reached by the Council of State last week. —Peking, April 20.