Hiroshima mayor to cite President Obama’s Hiroshima speech in August 6 Peace Declaration
Jun. 22, 2016
by Hiroaki Watanabe, Staff Writer
On June 21, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui announced that he will mention the speech made by U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to Hiroshima in May when he reads out the Peace Declaration at the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6. Mr. Matsui intends to link the president’s speech with the thoughts and feelings of the A-bomb survivors.
During a press conference that was held after the consulting committee met at City Hall to discuss the Peace Declaration, Mr. Matsui said to reporters, “In his speech, the president talked about the innocent people that were killed by the atomic bomb. His words express the feelings of the survivors who believe that ‘No one should ever again be forced to experience what we had to experience.’ Therefore, I’d like to stress the president’s speech in the August 6 Peace Declaration.”
Except for the start of the meeting, the discussion took place behind closed doors. All ten members of the committee, including Sunao Tsuboi, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), were in attendance. The participants received an outline of the declaration, reflecting part of Mr. Obama’s speech, and they approved the contents. However, one of the committee members commented, “The president’s speech presented no concrete roadmap to nuclear disarmament. The Peace Declaration should emphasize the importance of taking the next step.”
The declaration will also include the anecdotes of two A-bomb survivors who experienced the atomic bombing while in their teens. Mr. Matsui said that he would like to prepare the declaration within the context that the united efforts of everyone are the key to creating a world without nuclear weapons.
The committee meeting was the second of three such meetings. The first was held in April. The third and final meeting will be held in early July, when Mr. Matsui will propose the draft of this year’s Peace Declaration.
(Originally published on June 22, 2016)
On June 21, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui announced that he will mention the speech made by U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to Hiroshima in May when he reads out the Peace Declaration at the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6. Mr. Matsui intends to link the president’s speech with the thoughts and feelings of the A-bomb survivors.
During a press conference that was held after the consulting committee met at City Hall to discuss the Peace Declaration, Mr. Matsui said to reporters, “In his speech, the president talked about the innocent people that were killed by the atomic bomb. His words express the feelings of the survivors who believe that ‘No one should ever again be forced to experience what we had to experience.’ Therefore, I’d like to stress the president’s speech in the August 6 Peace Declaration.”
Except for the start of the meeting, the discussion took place behind closed doors. All ten members of the committee, including Sunao Tsuboi, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), were in attendance. The participants received an outline of the declaration, reflecting part of Mr. Obama’s speech, and they approved the contents. However, one of the committee members commented, “The president’s speech presented no concrete roadmap to nuclear disarmament. The Peace Declaration should emphasize the importance of taking the next step.”
The declaration will also include the anecdotes of two A-bomb survivors who experienced the atomic bombing while in their teens. Mr. Matsui said that he would like to prepare the declaration within the context that the united efforts of everyone are the key to creating a world without nuclear weapons.
The committee meeting was the second of three such meetings. The first was held in April. The third and final meeting will be held in early July, when Mr. Matsui will propose the draft of this year’s Peace Declaration.
(Originally published on June 22, 2016)
