Hiroshima mayor wins Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s Nobel Prize
Aug. 3, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba has been announced one of the seven winners of the 2010 Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia's Nobel Prize. In announcing this year's winners on August 2, the Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, based in the Philippines, recognized Mayor Akiba's contribution to the movement to eliminate nuclear weapons through Mayors for Peace and other activities.
The other awardees are from China, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Mr. Akiba is the only Japanese recipient among the winners this year. The board of trustees recognized Mayor Akiba as "an acknowledged leader in the global campaign for complete nuclear disarmament," helping to lead international efforts to mobilize citizens, pressure governments, and build the political will to create a world free from the perils of nuclear war. The award presentation ceremony will be held in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on August 31.
Mayor Akiba released a comment, saying, "I would like to accept the award on behalf of the hibakusha (A-bomb survivors), the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Mayors for Peace. The award will encourage me to endeavor to realize a world without nuclear weapons by 2020."
The Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, which was named after the late third president of the Philippines, is an award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of their achievements in various fields such as nation building and social activities in Asia. Since its first winners were announced in 1958 until last year, 277 individuals and organizations, including 23 Japanese nationals, have won the prize. The Japanese laureates include the late Ikuo Hirayama, former president of Tokyo University of the Arts, and Sadako Ogata, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
(Originally published on August 3, 2010)
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba has been announced one of the seven winners of the 2010 Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia's Nobel Prize. In announcing this year's winners on August 2, the Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, based in the Philippines, recognized Mayor Akiba's contribution to the movement to eliminate nuclear weapons through Mayors for Peace and other activities.
The other awardees are from China, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Mr. Akiba is the only Japanese recipient among the winners this year. The board of trustees recognized Mayor Akiba as "an acknowledged leader in the global campaign for complete nuclear disarmament," helping to lead international efforts to mobilize citizens, pressure governments, and build the political will to create a world free from the perils of nuclear war. The award presentation ceremony will be held in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on August 31.
Mayor Akiba released a comment, saying, "I would like to accept the award on behalf of the hibakusha (A-bomb survivors), the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Mayors for Peace. The award will encourage me to endeavor to realize a world without nuclear weapons by 2020."
The Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, which was named after the late third president of the Philippines, is an award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of their achievements in various fields such as nation building and social activities in Asia. Since its first winners were announced in 1958 until last year, 277 individuals and organizations, including 23 Japanese nationals, have won the prize. The Japanese laureates include the late Ikuo Hirayama, former president of Tokyo University of the Arts, and Sadako Ogata, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
(Originally published on August 3, 2010)
