old ban on nuclear weapons. "I am confident that Hiroshima will remain a symbol of peace," he said. Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party earlier this week released a draft of proposed revisions to Japan's post-war, pacifist constitution that would allow the military to act not only in self-defence but also to take part in global security efforts. Referring to such proposals, Akiba said: "The Japanese constitution, which embodies this axiom forever as the sovereign will of a nation, should be a guiding light for the world in the 21st century." Although support for revising the core pacifist clause remains short of a majority, public opinion is no longer overwhelmingly opposed to it. Some politicians even talk of Japan having nuclear weapons, long a taboo. Even some people in Hiroshima for the anniversary said Japan might have to go nuclear to counter the North Korean threat. "The best is if talks with the United States go well and North Korea gives up its weapons," said Yoshiaki Onoue, 45, referring to the talks in Beijing aimed at persuading the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions. "But Japan may need to have nuclear weapons as insurance," said Onoue, visiting the Peace Memorial Park with his family from Osaka, about 300 km (190 miles) east of Hiroshima. Sunao Tsuboi, an 80-year-old survivor who heads a group of victims, said keeping memories of the bombing alive was his greatest mission. "As we get old, even among victims the anger, that raging feeling towards the A-bomb, has waned ... Aug. 6 is being played up this year as it's the 60th anniversary, but I wonder about next year."
