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Ceremony marks 66th anniversary of atomic bombing: Mayor Matsui delivers first peace declaration

by Hiroki Takigawa, Staff Writer

Hiroshima considers the atom and human beings

Hiroshima held its annual Peace Memorial Ceremony in Peace Memorial Park on August 6. Sixty-six years have passed since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city. Over the years Hiroshima has called for the abolition of nuclear weapons on the anniversary of the bombing, but in the aftermath of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant it became a day for the city to reconsider how human beings should address the issue of the atom.

In his Peace Declaration Mayor Kazumi Matsui called for efforts to pass down the experiences of survivors of the bombing to future generations and to abolish nuclear weapons. At the same time, he cited an opinion questioning the peaceful use of nuclear energy and called on the government to review its energy policy.

According to the city, attendance at the ceremony, which began at 8 a.m., was 50,000, 5,000 less than last year. Mayor Matsui and two representatives of the families of atomic bomb survivors placed the register of A-bomb victims in the cenotaph.

Over the past year a total of 5,785 atomic bomb survivors died or their deaths were confirmed for the first time. An additional three volumes were added to the register, which now consists of 100 volumes and includes the names of 275,230 victims. An additional volume lists victims who died as a result of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki but whose families requested that their names be included in the register in Hiroshima. One name was added to this list, which now includes nine names.

At 8:15 a.m., the time the bomb was dropped, one minute of silence was observed. During that time the peace bell was rung by Shinobu Nakane, 41, who represented the families of the victims, and Shota Tanaka, a sixth-grader at Nakano Elementary School, the children’s representative.

In his first Peace Declaration Mayor Matsui included accounts of the experiences of two atomic bomb survivors, which were selected from among those received in response to a call by the city for submissions. “The time has come for the rest of us to learn from all the hibakusha what they experienced and their desire for peace. Then, we must communicate what we learn to future generations and the rest of the world,” the mayor declared. He referred directly to the U.S. which has repeatedly carried out subcritical nuclear tests, and called for the nations that possess nuclear weapons to work toward their abolition.

With regard to the accident at the nuclear power plant, the mayor cited a statement in favor of abandoning the use of nuclear power by the late Ichiro Moritaki, the first president of the Hiroshima Prefecture Confederation of A-Bomb and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), who said, “The atom and human beings cannot coexist.” The mayor also called on the Japanese government to “quickly review our energy policies, and institute concrete countermeasures to regain the understanding and trust of the people.”

In their Commitment to Peace, which included a message from Hiroshima to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the two children’s representatives, Masahiro Fukuhara, 11, a sixth-grader at Misasa Elementary School, and Nanoka Fujita, 11, a sixth-grader at Koi Elementary School, said, “We dedicate ourselves to building a future where hopes and dreams abound. This is our promise.”

In his remarks Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, “I pledge that Japan, the only country to have experienced nuclear devastation in war, will observe its Constitution and firmly maintain the Three Non-Nuclear Principles for the sake of the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons and the realization of eternal world peace.”

(Originally published on August 7, 2011)

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