Japanese and American high school students to gather in U.S. to discuss peace issues
Jun. 28, 2016
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
High school students from the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will visit the United States in September to take part in a gathering of Japanese and American high school students in New York and Boston, where they will discuss peace issues. The Japanese students, together with high school students in each city, will talk about the devastating consequences of war and the atomic bombs. The project was conceived by Hidenori Watanabe, an associate professor of Tokyo Metropolitan University, to build on the momentum of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May. Mr. Watanabe’s work involves the use of digital technology in peace education and he seeks to raise awareness of nuclear issues among the American people.
Mr. Watanabe has created the “Hiroshima Archive,” a website that features a 3D map with videos of A-bomb survivors’ accounts and photos related to the atomic bombings. His website can be accessed freely by the public. For this student exchange project, a total of around 10 students from Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School in Naka Ward, Hiroshima and Kwassui Senior High School in Nagasaki, who are helping the professor record survivors’ accounts for the website, will travel to the United States. About 40 students from Boston and New York (20 from each city) will also participate in the project and learn about the destruction of the atomic bombings based on the “Hiroshima Archive.” They will also listen to the accounts of A-bomb survivors who live in the United States.
Mr. Watanabe is now in Boston in the role of visiting fellow at Harvard University. He arrived there in April and will stay for six months. He points out that in the United States it is widely believed that the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to a swift end. “Although the president’s visit to Hiroshima has increased people’s interest in the A-bombed cities, it will soon be forgotten,” he said. “With President Obama’s visit as an impetus to advance nuclear abolition, I’d like to provide an opportunity for people to think about human life and nuclear power, including nuclear arms and nuclear energy.” The students’ exchanges will be open to the public.
Fundraising is now taking place to help defray the students’ travel expenses, with the hope that 1.5 million yen can be raised. To lend your support, visit
https://www.makuake.com/en/project/nagasaki-hiroshima-archive/.
(Originally published on June 28, 2016)
High school students from the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will visit the United States in September to take part in a gathering of Japanese and American high school students in New York and Boston, where they will discuss peace issues. The Japanese students, together with high school students in each city, will talk about the devastating consequences of war and the atomic bombs. The project was conceived by Hidenori Watanabe, an associate professor of Tokyo Metropolitan University, to build on the momentum of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May. Mr. Watanabe’s work involves the use of digital technology in peace education and he seeks to raise awareness of nuclear issues among the American people.
Mr. Watanabe has created the “Hiroshima Archive,” a website that features a 3D map with videos of A-bomb survivors’ accounts and photos related to the atomic bombings. His website can be accessed freely by the public. For this student exchange project, a total of around 10 students from Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School in Naka Ward, Hiroshima and Kwassui Senior High School in Nagasaki, who are helping the professor record survivors’ accounts for the website, will travel to the United States. About 40 students from Boston and New York (20 from each city) will also participate in the project and learn about the destruction of the atomic bombings based on the “Hiroshima Archive.” They will also listen to the accounts of A-bomb survivors who live in the United States.
Mr. Watanabe is now in Boston in the role of visiting fellow at Harvard University. He arrived there in April and will stay for six months. He points out that in the United States it is widely believed that the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to a swift end. “Although the president’s visit to Hiroshima has increased people’s interest in the A-bombed cities, it will soon be forgotten,” he said. “With President Obama’s visit as an impetus to advance nuclear abolition, I’d like to provide an opportunity for people to think about human life and nuclear power, including nuclear arms and nuclear energy.” The students’ exchanges will be open to the public.
Fundraising is now taking place to help defray the students’ travel expenses, with the hope that 1.5 million yen can be raised. To lend your support, visit
https://www.makuake.com/en/project/nagasaki-hiroshima-archive/.
(Originally published on June 28, 2016)
