Hiroshima mayor plans to call on Russian president to visit Hiroshima
Sep. 6, 2016
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
Following the agreement by Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the city of Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on December 15, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, speaking at a news conference on September 5, said that he would call on Mr. Putin to visit Hiroshima. Together with the mayor of Nagasaki, Mr. Matsui will ask Mr. Putin to come to the A-bombed cities in order to convey the reality of the A-bomb damage to the leader of the nuclear superpower.
Mr. Matsui stressed the importance of getting world leaders to understand the reality of the atomic bombing in order to realize “a world without nuclear weapons.” He expressed hope that Mr. Putin will visit Hiroshima, since the Russian president will be coming all the way from Russia to Yamaguchi, which is located nearby. Mr. Matsui said that the City of Hiroshima will consult with the City of Nagasaki about possible dates for Mr. Putin to pay visits to the A-bombed cities and how they will convey their request.
Among former Russian presidents, Boris Yeltsin visited Hiroshima in 1990 as the people’s deputy of the former Soviet Union before he assumed the presidency. Mikhail Gorbachev, who also served as president of the former Soviet Union, visited Nagasaki in 1991 during his presidency, and visited Hiroshima in 1992 after stepping down as leader.
In 2008, when the Hokkaido Toyako Summit was held, Hiroshima and Nagasaki called on Dmitry Medvedev, who was then the Russian president, to visit the A-bombed cities. Meanwhile, the City of Hiroshima sent a letter of protest to Mr. Putin in 2015, after a string of words and deeds that suggested he would consider using nuclear weapons over the crisis in Ukraine, among other incidents.
(Originally published on September 6, 2016)
Following the agreement by Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the city of Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on December 15, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, speaking at a news conference on September 5, said that he would call on Mr. Putin to visit Hiroshima. Together with the mayor of Nagasaki, Mr. Matsui will ask Mr. Putin to come to the A-bombed cities in order to convey the reality of the A-bomb damage to the leader of the nuclear superpower.
Mr. Matsui stressed the importance of getting world leaders to understand the reality of the atomic bombing in order to realize “a world without nuclear weapons.” He expressed hope that Mr. Putin will visit Hiroshima, since the Russian president will be coming all the way from Russia to Yamaguchi, which is located nearby. Mr. Matsui said that the City of Hiroshima will consult with the City of Nagasaki about possible dates for Mr. Putin to pay visits to the A-bombed cities and how they will convey their request.
Among former Russian presidents, Boris Yeltsin visited Hiroshima in 1990 as the people’s deputy of the former Soviet Union before he assumed the presidency. Mikhail Gorbachev, who also served as president of the former Soviet Union, visited Nagasaki in 1991 during his presidency, and visited Hiroshima in 1992 after stepping down as leader.
In 2008, when the Hokkaido Toyako Summit was held, Hiroshima and Nagasaki called on Dmitry Medvedev, who was then the Russian president, to visit the A-bombed cities. Meanwhile, the City of Hiroshima sent a letter of protest to Mr. Putin in 2015, after a string of words and deeds that suggested he would consider using nuclear weapons over the crisis in Ukraine, among other incidents.
(Originally published on September 6, 2016)
