Iraqi lawmakers study Hiroshima’s postwar reconstruction
Nov. 14, 2012
by Junpei Fujimura, Staff Writer
On November 10, a workshop on “peace building and postwar reconstruction” was held at Hiroshima University’s Higashisenda campus, located in downtown Hiroshima. The workshop was held to reflect on Iraq’s reconstruction from the viewpoint of Hiroshima, which suffered the devastation of the atomic bombing. Six members of the Iraqi national parliament, who were invited by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a training program, exchanged views with Hideaki Shinoda, an associate professor at Hiroshima University, whose area of research includes Hiroshima’s post-war reconstruction.
On the post-war reconstruction of Hiroshima, Mr. Shinoda said, “Hiroshima becoming a city of peace after the atomic bombing was not a fait accompli.” He explained that Hiroshima was once a military town, but it evolved into a city of international peace and culture under the leadership and vision of former mayor Shinso Hamai.
Salman Al-Jumaili, 49, a parliament member, said that he recognized the will of the Japanese people in accepting the reality of the atomic bombing and moving forward on a positive path. Lukman Faily, Ambassador of Iraq in Japan, was also present at the workshop. He offered encouragement to the lawmakers, saying, “To accomplish the kind of reconstruction achieved in Japan, harmony is essential. Take the lead in overcoming the barriers of religious and political differences.”
Afterward, the workshop participants paid a visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. They also toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and listened to the A-bomb account of an A-bomb survivor.
(Originally published on November 11, 2012)
On November 10, a workshop on “peace building and postwar reconstruction” was held at Hiroshima University’s Higashisenda campus, located in downtown Hiroshima. The workshop was held to reflect on Iraq’s reconstruction from the viewpoint of Hiroshima, which suffered the devastation of the atomic bombing. Six members of the Iraqi national parliament, who were invited by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a training program, exchanged views with Hideaki Shinoda, an associate professor at Hiroshima University, whose area of research includes Hiroshima’s post-war reconstruction.
On the post-war reconstruction of Hiroshima, Mr. Shinoda said, “Hiroshima becoming a city of peace after the atomic bombing was not a fait accompli.” He explained that Hiroshima was once a military town, but it evolved into a city of international peace and culture under the leadership and vision of former mayor Shinso Hamai.
Salman Al-Jumaili, 49, a parliament member, said that he recognized the will of the Japanese people in accepting the reality of the atomic bombing and moving forward on a positive path. Lukman Faily, Ambassador of Iraq in Japan, was also present at the workshop. He offered encouragement to the lawmakers, saying, “To accomplish the kind of reconstruction achieved in Japan, harmony is essential. Take the lead in overcoming the barriers of religious and political differences.”
Afterward, the workshop participants paid a visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. They also toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and listened to the A-bomb account of an A-bomb survivor.
(Originally published on November 11, 2012)
