日本は米國による無差別都市空爆、そして廣島の原爆投下が国際法にも陸戦協定にも違反する人類・人道に対する犯罪（戦争犯罪）であることをこの抗議文で明らかにしている。
この犯罪は、戦後世界に於いて全く裁かれることなく現在に至っているが、日本政府はこれを堂々と國際的に発表し、裁くことを宣言すべきである。
これはサンフランシスコ講和条約を覆すものではない。東京裁判やサンフランシスコ講和条約で明らかにされなかった事実を明らかにし、以て我が国の正義を貫くべきであると考える。
大日本帝國の原爆に対する抗議文
本月六日米國航空機は廣島市の市街地區に對し新型爆彈を投下し瞬時にして多數の市民を殺傷し同市の大半を潰滅せしめたり。
廣島市は何ら特殊の軍事的防衞乃至施設を施し居らざる普通の一地方都市にして同市全體として一つの軍事目標たるの性質を有するものに非ず、本件爆撃に關する聲明において米國大統領「トルーマン」はわれらは船渠（せんきよ）工場および交通施設を破壞すべしと言ひをるも、本件爆彈は落下傘を附して投下せられ空中において炸裂し極めて廣き範圍に破壞的效力を及ぼすものなるを以つてこれによる攻撃の效果を右の如き特定目標に限定することは物理的に全然不可能なこと明瞭にして右の如き本件爆彈の性能については米國側においてもすでに承知しをるところなり。
また實際の被害状況に徴するも被害地域は廣範圍にわたり右地域内にあるものは交戰者、非交戰者の別なく、また男女老幼を問わず、すべて爆風および幅射熱により無差別に殺傷せられその被害範圍の一般的にして、かつ甚大なるのみならず、個々の傷害状況より見るも未だ見ざる慘憺なるものと言ふべきなり。
聊々交戰者は害敵手段の選擇につき無制限の權利を有するものに非ざること及び不必要の苦痛を與ふべき兵器、投射物其他の物質を使用すべからざることは戰時國際法の根本原則にして、それぞれ陸戰の法規慣例に關する條約附屬書、陸戰の法規慣例に關する規則第二十二條、及び第二十三條（ホ）號に明定せらるるところなり。
米國政府は今次世界の戰亂勃發以來再三にわたり毒ガス乃至その他の非人道的戰爭方法の使用は文明社會の輿論により不法とせられをれりとし、相手國側において、まづこれを使用せざる限り、これを使用することなかるべき旨聲明したるが、米國が今囘使用したる本件爆彈は、その性能の無差別かつ慘虐性において從來かゝる性能を有するが故に使用を禁止せられをる毒ガスその他の兵器を遙かに凌駕しをれり、米國は國際法および人道の根本原則を無視して、すでに廣範圍にわたり帝國の諸都市に對して無差別爆撃を實施し來り多數の老幼婦女子を殺傷し神社佛閣學校病院一般民衆などを倒壞または燒失せしめたり。
而していまや新奇にして、かつ從來のいかなる兵器、投射物にも比し得ざる無差別性慘虐性を有する本件爆彈を使用せるは人類文化に對する新たなる罪惡なり。帝國政府はここに自からの名において、かつまた全人類および文明の名において米國政府を糾彈すると共に即時かゝる非人道的兵器の使用を放棄すべきことを嚴重に要求す。（出典:『朝日新聞』昭和20年8月11日）
August 10, 1945
A New-Type, Cruel Bomb Ignoring International law; Imperial Government Protest to the Government of the United States.
With regard to the attack by a new-type bomb on the city of Hiroshima by a B-29 bomber on the 6th inst. the Imperial Government filed the following protest on the 10th inst. to the Government of the United States through the Government of Switzerland, and gave instructions to the Japanese Minister to Switzerland, Kase, to make the explanation of explanation of the same effect to the International Committee of Red Cross.
Protest against the Attack of a New-Type Bomb by American Airplane:
On the 6th of this month, an airplane of the United States dropped a new-type bomb on the urban district of the city of Hiroshima, and it killed and wounded a large number of the citizens and destroyed the bulk of the city.
The city of Hiroshima is an crdinary local city which is not provided with any military defensive preparations or establishments, and the whole city has not a character of a military objective. In the statement on the aerial bom-bardment in this case, the United States President “Truman” asserts that they will destroy docks, factories and transport facilities. However, since the bomb in this case, dropped by a parachute, explodes in the air and extends the destructive effect to quite a wide sphere, it is clear to be quite impossible in technique to limit the effect of attack thereby to such specific objectives as mentioned above; and the above efficiency of the bomb in this case is already known to the United States. In the light of the actual state of damage, the damaged district covers a wide area, and those who were in the district were all killed indiscriminately by bomb-shell blast and radiant heat without dis-tinction of combatant or non-combatant or of age or sex. The damaged sphere is general and immense, and judging from the most cruel one that ever existed.
It is a fundamental principle of international law in time of war that a belligerent has not an unlimited right in chosing the means of injuring the enemy, and should not use such weapons, projectiles, and other material as cause unnecessary pain; and these are each expressly stipulated in the annex of the Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and artices 22 and 23(e) of the Regulations respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land.
Since the beginning of the present World War, the Government of the United States has declared repeatedly that the use of poison or other inhumane methods of warfare has been regarded as illegal by the pubic opin-ion in civilized countries, and that the United States would not use these methods of warfare unless the other countries used these first. However, the bomb in this case, which the United States used this time, exceeds by far the indiscriminate and cruel character of efficiency, the poison and other weapons the use of which has been prohibited hitherto because of such an efficiency. Disregarding a fundamental principle of international law and humanity, the United States has already made indiscriminate aerial bombardments on cities of the Empire in very wide areas, and it has already killed and injured a large number of old people, children, and women and collapsed or burned down shrines, temples, schools, hospital and ordinary private houses. Also, the United States has used the new bomb in this case which has indiscriminate and cruel character beyond comparison with all weapons and projectile of the past.
This is a new offence against the civilization of mankind. The Imperial Government impeaches the Government of the United States in its own name and the name of all mankind and of civilization, and demands strongly that the Government of the United States give up the use of such an inhumane weapon instantly.
