Junior Writers Reporting: Visiting Switzerland as high school peace ambassador and appealing for nuclear abolition at U.N.
Sep. 26, 2016
As one of the participants of the 19th Annual High School Student Peace Ambassador Program, I traveled to Switzerland with 21 other high school students from across Japan. I took part in this program, in the cities of Geneva and Heiden, because I wanted to convey the reality of the atomic bombing and current conditions of the A-bomb survivors in my own words as a high school student from Hiroshima, the A-bombed city. During our time in Switzerland, we visited United Nations headquarters in Geneva as well as some organizations and high schools that are actively making efforts to abolish nuclear weapons and resolve human rights issues.
by Miyu Okada, Junior Writer, 15
At the Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, we met with Mary Soliman, the acting director. In turns, we shared our thoughts on issues such as nuclear disarmament and nuclear energy accidents with Ms. Soliman in English. When my turn came, I told her how A-bomb survivors have suffered not only from the aftereffects caused by the radiation released by the atomic bomb but also the mental trauma of feeling guilty that they survived the bombing when so many died.
I also made the appeal that high school students like us must inherit the painful experience of the A-bomb survivors and their wish for a peaceful world and communicate this information globally since we’re the last generation able to listen directly to their accounts.
Ms. Soliman told us that our deep wishes made her feel even more keenly about the problem of nuclear weapons still existing in the world. She also said that the actions made by high school students are an important contribution to the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, and that we aren’t alone in our quest. Finally, we handed to her the signatures of people calling for nuclear abolition that we had gathered over the past 12 months.
Through our visit to the U.N. and other peace organizations, I came to think that because we were high school students, we actually had more power than adults to make our appeals, and that we weren’t powerless at all. I was also very encouraged to see that people in other nations are making efforts to advance the abolition of nuclear arms and create a peaceful world. At the same time, I felt that I need to continue learning more about Japan’s aggression during the war and current conditions in the world, rather than just focusing on the war damage suffered by Japan.
Thanks to this opportunity, I was able to think about peace more deeply than before. I plan to share my experience with as many people as I can and continue to sow seeds for realizing a peaceful world.
(Originally published on September 26, 2016)
by Miyu Okada, Junior Writer, 15
At the Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, we met with Mary Soliman, the acting director. In turns, we shared our thoughts on issues such as nuclear disarmament and nuclear energy accidents with Ms. Soliman in English. When my turn came, I told her how A-bomb survivors have suffered not only from the aftereffects caused by the radiation released by the atomic bomb but also the mental trauma of feeling guilty that they survived the bombing when so many died.
I also made the appeal that high school students like us must inherit the painful experience of the A-bomb survivors and their wish for a peaceful world and communicate this information globally since we’re the last generation able to listen directly to their accounts.
Ms. Soliman told us that our deep wishes made her feel even more keenly about the problem of nuclear weapons still existing in the world. She also said that the actions made by high school students are an important contribution to the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, and that we aren’t alone in our quest. Finally, we handed to her the signatures of people calling for nuclear abolition that we had gathered over the past 12 months.
Through our visit to the U.N. and other peace organizations, I came to think that because we were high school students, we actually had more power than adults to make our appeals, and that we weren’t powerless at all. I was also very encouraged to see that people in other nations are making efforts to advance the abolition of nuclear arms and create a peaceful world. At the same time, I felt that I need to continue learning more about Japan’s aggression during the war and current conditions in the world, rather than just focusing on the war damage suffered by Japan.
Thanks to this opportunity, I was able to think about peace more deeply than before. I plan to share my experience with as many people as I can and continue to sow seeds for realizing a peaceful world.
(Originally published on September 26, 2016)
