Physicians Against Nuclear War (PANW)
After the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, local doctors were deeply committed to save the victims through their medical services while they were also badly injured. There were a lot of doctors hurried to the A-bomb stricken areas across the nation to support them. However, faced with the damages imposed by the deadly weapon of mass destruction, too many patients and virtually no medical supplies, they felt themselves helpless. They also realized how little medical treatments could do confronted by the impacts of radioactive materials. Nothing has changed since then regarding this fact.
It is still impossible to survive if you are exposed to radioactive materials beyond certain thresholds. You can be more susceptible to cancer even if your exposure is below the threshold level. This could not be changed by medical breakthrough in the future as well as now.
There were some doctors who had a professional sense of obligation and believed that they could at least prevent such a tragedy to take place if not cure the patients.
They gathered on 1st and 2nd August in 1987 in Tokyo in the spirit of fighting against the nuclear war and abolishing the nuclear weapons. 294 medical doctors and scholars met in this event with a support of more than 2000 medical doctors, scholars and dentists. This event was a start of the national gathering of medical professions.
Currently we have 430 members and vigorously undertaking activities to abolish nuclear weapons which violate the international law and humanitarian ethics.