PRESS CONFERENCE
Opposing an Effort to Whitewash Japan's Wartime Past
Teruhisa Minami, The Association of Nagasaki Citizens for an Atomic Bomb Exhibition to Tell the World
15:00-16:00 Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.
The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan invites members of the media and the Club to a press conference with a representative of a Nagasaki citizens' association concerned about an effort to whitewash Japan's wartime past.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing. On November 19, the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, run by the city of Nagasaki, proposed changing the language in its exhibits. What had been referred to as the Nanjing Massacre -- the December 1937 slaughter by Japanese soldiers of Chinese civilians in that city -- would now be called the “Nanjing Incident.” The proposed changes would also replace words like “invasion” with euphemistic terms such as “advance.” These changes were demanded by a city councilor who claims that the Nanjing Massacre was a fabrication.
The Association of Nagasaki Citizens for an Atomic Bomb Exhibition to Tell the World opposes these changes and wants to call the world's attention to them. These would conceal Japan's wartime aggression and weaken Nagasaki’s appeal as a beacon for the abolition of nuclear weapons and creation of a society without war. The group is demanding that Nagasaki maintain its current stance to exhibit history as it truly was. It says the museum cannot convey an anti-nuclear message if it doesn't have the courage to show the full history before the attack.
Teruhisa Minami is a member of the Association, which consists of 21 citizens groups including hibakusha survivors of the atomic bombing. Please come to hear him talk about the importance of telling the full history 80 years after the war.
How to attend:
Please register by emailing front@fccj.or.jp with your name and the name of your media outlet. FCCJ members should also include their membership number. Doors will open 15 minutes before the event.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/pC2a4MbWGsFswFGw6
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.
Professional Activities Committee