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Peace Declaration at Hiroshima ceremony calls nuclear weapons “absolute evil,” appeals for international cooperation

by Seiji Shitakubo, Staff Writer

On August 6, the City of Hiroshima held its annual Peace Memorial Ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the 68th year since the atomic bombing. With about 50,000 people in the attendance, the city was filled with sympathies for the victims and prayers for peace. In his Peace Declaration, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui denounced nuclear weapons as an “absolute evil” and called on the Japanese government to join forces with countries seeking nuclear abolition, as a movement in the international community which focuses on the inhumanity of nuclear arms continues to grow.

The ceremony began at 8:00 a.m. with Mr. Matsui and two representatives from the families of the dead placing the register of the A-bomb victims in the stone chest beneath the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. Over the past year, another 5,859 people were confirmed dead, bringing the total number of victims to 286,818. Their names are listed in 104 volumes, with two volumes added since last year.

At 8:15, the time the bomb was dropped over the city, those in attendance offered a moment of silence as the Peace Bell was tolled by Shiori Sakoda, 32, a university employee and a resident of Asakita Ward, representing the families of the victims, and Rintaro Ito, 11, a sixth grader at Fukuromachi Elementary School and a resident of Naka Ward, representing the children of Hiroshima.

Mr. Matsui quoted the experiences of five A-bomb survivors in the Peace Declaration, describing the anguish they have suffered due to prejudice and damaged health and once again condemned the atomic bomb as the “ultimate inhumane weapon.” Expressing his resolve, the mayor said “we must become the force that drives the struggle to abolish nuclear weapons” and he urged world leaders to “make the decision to shift to a system of security based on trust and dialogue.”

Regarding the agreement to export nuclear energy technology that the Japanese government is negotiating with India, a nuclear weapon state and a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), Mr. Matsui expressed concern, stating, “It is likely to hinder nuclear weapons abolition.”

The “Commitment to Peace” was then read out by a boy and girl representing the children of Hiroshima, Shunji Takeuchi, 11, a sixth grader at Yoshijima-higashi Elementary School and a resident of Naka Ward, and Yuzu Nakamori, 11, a sixth grader at Kuchita Elementary School and a resident of Asakita Ward. “Let us create a peace together so that this precious baton may be passed on,” they appealed in unison.

In his address, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged that Japan would “maintain its Three Non-Nuclear Principles and make every effort to realize a lasting peace.” Mr. Abe did not refer to the nation’s energy policy, including the use of nuclear energy.

Invited guests to the ceremony numbered 70 people representing their nations and the European Union (EU). Representatives from the five nuclear weapon states, with the exception of China, were in attendance.

As of the end of March, the number of A-bomb survivors holding the Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate totals 201,779. With an average age of 78.8, the survivors are growing older. Out of consideration for the health of elderly attendees, the City of Hiroshima made available, for the first time, seating inside the International Conference Center Hiroshima, located in the park, where a live broadcast of the ceremony was screened.

(Originally published on August 7, 2013)

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