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Outline of 2015 Peace Declaration: Realize security without relying on force

by Masanori Wada, Staff Writer

On July 29, the outline of the Peace Declaration to be read out by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at the August 6 Peace Memorial Ceremony, which will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing, was disclosed. Appealing for a wide-ranging security framework that does not rely on force as an “ideal shared by all human beings,” the Peace Declaration will call on world leaders to work persistently toward putting such a framework into effect.

The Peace Declaration stresses that continuing face-to-face dialogue with policymakers is the first step toward the abolition of nuclear weapons. In a section which describes the damage caused by the atomic bomb, the outcry from A-bomb survivors who were deprived of their homes and families and who were hurt both physically and mentally is given empathy with a single phrase, “Restore Hiroshima to its original state.” The Peace Declaration is also expected to express appreciation to the survivors who have contributed tirelessly to the reconstruction of Hiroshima and efforts to abolish nuclear weapons.

In line with the draft of the declaration presented at the July 21 meeting of a consulting panel consisting of A-bomb survivors and experts, the Peace Declaration will call on all world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, to visit the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and encourage them to begin negotiations to realize a nuclear weapons convention. Meanwhile, as Mr. Matsui has already stated, the Peace Declaration will make no reference to the issue of the security bills that will enable Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense. Mr. Matsui will announce further details of the Peace Declaration on July 31.

(Originally published on July 30, 2015)

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