75 years after the atomic bombing, messages from 10 prominent people released on Hiroshima Prefecture’s website, Obama, the Pope and others advocate for a peaceful world
Aug. 5, 2020
by Kohei Okata and Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writers
The Hiroshima prefectural government announced on August 4 it had received messages from Barack Obama, former President of the United States, and Pope Francis before the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings. Each refers to their experiences of visiting Hiroshima and call for the establishment of world peace. The prefectural government had requested they send their messages with a view toward heightening the international momentum toward the elimination of nuclear weapons. The messages from a 10 prominent overseas individuals, including Mr. Obama and the Pope, have been uploaded onto the website “Hiroshima for Global Peace.”
According to the prefectural government, it received Mr. Obama’s message through the Obama Foundation, which is based in Chicago, the United States, by international mail on July 31. Mr. Obama visited Hiroshima as the first sitting president of the U.S. and met with A-bomb survivors in 2016. Referring to this experience, he wrote, “As always, they call on us to never give up in our pursuit of peace and a world where the miracles of science are harnessed to build, not destroy.”
The message from Pope Francis, who visited Hiroshima in 2019, arrived on July 27. He stressed, “For peace to flourish, all people need to lay down the weapons of war, and especially … nuclear arms.”
Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in his video message that the voices of the people of Hiroshima need to be heard around the world now. Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), also said in her video that she hopes Hiroshima will continue to show the impact of nuclear weapons and the stories of the survivors with the next generation.
The prefectural government in mid-June began calling on prominent people who visited Hiroshima or who have ties with Hiroshima through its peace policies to send messages on the theme of “The role Hiroshima is expected to play looking ahead to the 100th anniversary of the atomic bombing.” Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki said, “Taking to heart their strong desires for the elimination of nuclear weapons, we will make efforts so that their desires will lead to actions taken by many people inside and outside Japan.”
(Originally published on August 5, 2020)
The Hiroshima prefectural government announced on August 4 it had received messages from Barack Obama, former President of the United States, and Pope Francis before the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings. Each refers to their experiences of visiting Hiroshima and call for the establishment of world peace. The prefectural government had requested they send their messages with a view toward heightening the international momentum toward the elimination of nuclear weapons. The messages from a 10 prominent overseas individuals, including Mr. Obama and the Pope, have been uploaded onto the website “Hiroshima for Global Peace.”
According to the prefectural government, it received Mr. Obama’s message through the Obama Foundation, which is based in Chicago, the United States, by international mail on July 31. Mr. Obama visited Hiroshima as the first sitting president of the U.S. and met with A-bomb survivors in 2016. Referring to this experience, he wrote, “As always, they call on us to never give up in our pursuit of peace and a world where the miracles of science are harnessed to build, not destroy.”
The message from Pope Francis, who visited Hiroshima in 2019, arrived on July 27. He stressed, “For peace to flourish, all people need to lay down the weapons of war, and especially … nuclear arms.”
Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in his video message that the voices of the people of Hiroshima need to be heard around the world now. Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), also said in her video that she hopes Hiroshima will continue to show the impact of nuclear weapons and the stories of the survivors with the next generation.
The prefectural government in mid-June began calling on prominent people who visited Hiroshima or who have ties with Hiroshima through its peace policies to send messages on the theme of “The role Hiroshima is expected to play looking ahead to the 100th anniversary of the atomic bombing.” Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki said, “Taking to heart their strong desires for the elimination of nuclear weapons, we will make efforts so that their desires will lead to actions taken by many people inside and outside Japan.”
(Originally published on August 5, 2020)
