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U.N. Secretary-General asks youth to help carry torch of peace

by Yumi Kanazaki, Michiko Tanaka, and Kyoko Shinmoto, Staff Writers

On the afternoon of August 6, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Hiroshima Municipal Funairi High School and met 115 students in the International Communication Course at the school. Mr. Ban made an appeal to the students in English, saying, "You are the leaders of the future. As we are determined to do our best, too, I hope that you will help us carry the torch of peace."

At a "peace exchange meeting" held by the school, Mr. Ban answered questions in a friendly, good-humored manner. To a student who asked about the feasibility of eliminating nuclear weapons, he clearly stated, "Some say it is just a dream, but nothing can be achieved without a goal. If we commit ourselves to it, there is no goal that can never be achieved." Ayumi Wakitani, 18, a third-year student, made a vow to herself, saying, "I have received an assignment, an appeal that Hiroshima must take further action. I will make today the starting line for that action."

After attending the Peace Memorial Ceremony, Mr. Ban listened to the A-bomb experience of Akihiro Takahashi, 79, a former director of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, at the museum. After hearing Mr. Takahashi's account, Mr. Ban reportedly stressed, "Eliminating nuclear weapons is an urgent task. I will appeal for this necessity to world leaders." Mr. Takahashi seemed satisfied and said, "I could sense the secretary-general's determination from the serious expression on his face."

Mr. Ban also paid tribute to the Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-bomb located in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Kan Moonhee, 91, chair of the Special Committee Seeking Measures for the Korean A-bomb Victims at Hiroshima Headquarters of the Korean Residents Union in Japan, said, entrusting his hopes to the secretary-general, "I feel like I'm dreaming. I want to watch, to the end, Mr. Ban achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons."


Exclusive interview with U.N. Secretary-General by junior writers
by Rie Nii, Staff Writer

On August 6, the junior writers of "Peace Seeds," a peace newspaper by Hiroshima teens that appears regularly as an insert in the Chugoku Shimbun, conducted an exclusive interview with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Ban spoke about his strong desire to eliminate nuclear weapons and told the junior writers that "What I would like to ask you as the young generation is to look beyond Japan. There are so many people who need your help."

At the International Conference Center Hiroshima in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, four junior writers, who are junior high and senior high school students, interviewed the secretary-general. Asked "Why are you committed to eliminating nuclear weapons?", Mr. Ban answered, "I grew up in Korea. Korea is under nuclear threat from North Korea. We were attacked by North Korea in 1950. I know what this nuclear threat means."

Mr. Ban kindly responded to a junior writer's request that he express a message of "peace" on a piece of paper. He wrote the message "The realization of a world without nuclear weapons" in Japanese with a blue marker, the U.N. color.

Masahiro Mikoshi, 17, a third-year student at Hiroshima Johoku High School, felt pleased with the interview, and said, "The secretary-general answered our questions seriously."

(Originally published on August 7, 2010)

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