TOKYO: Charles Oppenheimer, a grandson of U.S. scientist Robert Oppenheimer, dubbed the “father of the atomic bomb,” has called for peaceful use of nuclear energy at a news conference in Tokyo.

“I personally believe all bombs, not just atomic bombs,…should never be used by humanity,” Oppenheimer said at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday after his visit to Hiroshima, which was attacked with a U.S. atomic bomb in 1945 during World War II.

Nuclear technologies “can be used for energy and less for weapons,” he also said.

Referring to growing tensions between the United States, China and Russia, he said that now is the time to learn from the advice of his grandfather and hibakusha atomic bomb survivors who sought international solidarity.

“We can use the same science and technology to save the world instead of destroying it,” Oppenheimer said, expressing hopes that Japan and other Group of Seven members will lead discussions on peaceful use of nuclear energy.

In Hiroshima, Oppenheimer met with atomic bomb survivors. Speaking on that, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with such people, something his grandfather wanted to do but could not.

JIJI Press