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Hiroshima council sends letter of request to Japanese government to host G8 summit in 2016

by Hisashi Kawate, Staff Writer

On October 14, a council to promote the bidding effort to bring the G8 summit to Hiroshima, comprised of Hiroshima Prefecture, the City of Hiroshima, and the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI), submitted a letter of request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, seeking to host the gathering, which will take place in Japan in 2016.

An official of the City of Hiroshima said that Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, and HCCI Chairman Hideki Fukayama met with those in charge of the event at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit the letter. The Hiroshima leaders explained to the Foreign Ministry that the City of Hiroshima has proposed a “welcome of peace” to the city, offering the opportunity for world leaders to reflect on peace issues by touching the reality of the atomic bombing. They stressed the significance of holding the event in Hiroshima because “the city is the most appropriate place to make a strong appeal to the world that Japan is a nation which contributes to the peace and development of the international community.”

The city official also said that those at the Foreign Ministry who are overseeing the summit paid a visit to Hiroshima on October 2 and 3 to inspect locations listed in Hiroshima’s hosting proposal: the Grand Prince Hotel in Minami Ward, which would serve as the summit venue, and other places including the Rihga Royal Hotel in Naka Ward, which would provide accommodations for government delegations.

(Originally published on October 15, 2014)

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