Ecuador president makes vow to A-bomb survivor to work for nuclear abolition
Sep. 8, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
On September 7, Ecuador President Rafael Correa visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and learned about the true consequences of the atomic bombing. He visited Hiroshima at his own request during his first visit to Japan, where he arrived on September 5 and will stay until September 8.
President Correa placed a wreath of flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and offered a silent prayer. He then toured Peace Memorial Museum. According to Koichiro Maeda, director of the museum, Mr. Correa looked shocked when he encountered a photo showing an older sister and her younger brother suffering from hair loss due to the acute effects of the atomic bomb's radiation. The president said that the children in the photo are about the same age as his own children. He wrote in the museum’s guest book that he pledges to pursue, in cooperation with the international community, a peaceful world for humanity.
Mr. Correa also toured the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims as the first state leader from a foreign nation. He listened to the account of an A-bomb survivor, Shizuko Abe, 83, and told her that he will work for nuclear abolition. Mr. Correa also spoke with Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki at the Hiroshima Prefectural Government. On September 8, he will depart for South Korea, his next destination.
(Originally published on September 8, 2010)
On September 7, Ecuador President Rafael Correa visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and learned about the true consequences of the atomic bombing. He visited Hiroshima at his own request during his first visit to Japan, where he arrived on September 5 and will stay until September 8.
President Correa placed a wreath of flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and offered a silent prayer. He then toured Peace Memorial Museum. According to Koichiro Maeda, director of the museum, Mr. Correa looked shocked when he encountered a photo showing an older sister and her younger brother suffering from hair loss due to the acute effects of the atomic bomb's radiation. The president said that the children in the photo are about the same age as his own children. He wrote in the museum’s guest book that he pledges to pursue, in cooperation with the international community, a peaceful world for humanity.
Mr. Correa also toured the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims as the first state leader from a foreign nation. He listened to the account of an A-bomb survivor, Shizuko Abe, 83, and told her that he will work for nuclear abolition. Mr. Correa also spoke with Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki at the Hiroshima Prefectural Government. On September 8, he will depart for South Korea, his next destination.
(Originally published on September 8, 2010)
