September 9, 2026
During my official visit to Cuba, I exchanged views with members of the National Assembly and expressed my deep concern over Israel’s military actions against neighboring countries, the enormous civilian toll in Gaza—including the deaths of so many children—and the millions of people forced to flee or displaced from their homes.
What I sought to convey was this:
Israel is the only country in the world to have bombed nine countries and invaded three neighboring countries. In just 1,000 days, 100,000 people have been killed, including 25,000 children, and six million have been displaced.
In response, one Cuban parliamentarian, referring also to the situation in Gaza, described the United States’ long-standing economic sanctions against Cuba as a “silent bomb,” and their impact on people’s lives as a “silent genocide.”
The international community must seriously confront, from a humanitarian perspective, not only armed attacks but also the devastating impact of sanctions and blockades on healthcare, food, and essential infrastructure.
This photo was taken at Revolution Square in Havana.
In July 1959, Che Guevara changed his itinerary during his visit to Japan to travel to Hiroshima. There, he laid flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Atomic Bomb Hospital. In a postcard to his wife, he wrote that he felt one should visit Hiroshima “to fight resolutely for peace.”
As a Japanese parliamentarian representing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cities that experienced the atomic bombings, I will continue to call for diplomacy that protects the lives and dignity of all civilians suffering from war, nuclear weapons, occupation, and sanctions.
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