Inviting President Obama to Hiroshima
| Launch of the "Invitation Project" |
Barack Obama has been elected the 44th president of the United States. In the presidential campaign, he pledged to pursue the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. At the same time he becomes a key person in regard to the realization of nuclear abolition, he will be the commander-in-chief charged with making decisions about the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
We hope Mr. Obama will consider coming to Hiroshima to see this A-bombed city in person. Toward this end, Peace Seeds now launches the "President Obama Invitation Project." Although thinking about nuclear disarmament in terms of politics and economics is important, we would like Mr. Obama to see and hear what actually would happen on the ground if he were to use a nuclear weapon.
No incumbent president of the United States has ever visited Hiroshima. As the first step in this project, why don't we send "invitations" to America's next president?
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Strengthening hope for nuclear abolition |  |
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| Some letters written by junior writers. |
We strongly hope that America's next president, Barack Obama, will agree to visit the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. As America is a nuclear superpower, the nation's leader has the power to authorize the use of nuclear weapons, a situation that could lead to the annihilation of human beings.
This past September, the G8 Speakers' Meeting was held in Hiroshima and Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, attended the meeting. In the United States, the Speaker of the House is third in line from the presidency after the vice-president. Speaker Pelosi, after hearing the testimony of an A-bomb survivor, revealed her view that "The visit to Hiroshima is a powerful reminder of the destructiveness of war."
We hope the next president will listen to the survivors' stories in person and lay flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Peace Memorial Park.
For obtaining information about the destructive power of nuclear weapons, books and websites might be adequate. However, the reason why we want to invite President Obama to Hiroshima is because we think he should understand what happened in Hiroshima through his own senses. And we hope he would imagine what could happen if he pushed the nuclear button.
At the same time, we assume there are some people who might react negatively to our idea because they don't want the president of the United States, the country that dropped the atomic bomb, to visit Hiroshima. We understand such feelings, but we believe that the president would feel the pain of the victims by setting foot in Peace Memorial Park, where debris from the bombing and remains of the dead still lie in the earth. If he realizes clearly the devastation that nuclear weapons bring, he would never think of using them. (Nao Tatsugawa, 16)
Write letters to Barack Obama!
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Let's write letters to President-elect Barack Obama! We welcome letters from people of all ages, children to adults. If you think nuclear abolition is important and you'd care to take up our challenge, or maybe you're just not sure what sort of action to take, we suggest that writing these letters might be a big step toward nuclear abolition. The United States will soon have a new president so this is a good chance to create an impact. Please share your thoughts in a letter and send it to Peace Seeds. By letting President Obama know about the reality of an A-bombed city, your letter might just move him and help change the world. If you'd like to join us in this effort, please send your letter by email to the editors of Peace Seeds with your name, address, phone number, school, and grade. (If you're no longer a student, your age and occupation instead.) And if you're an A-bomb survivor, please note that, too. (Minako Iwata, 15) |
Do you have any ties to the next president?
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We hope to find someone with a connection to Mr. Obama to ensure that he will read our letters. For instance, "he and my father became friends when my father studied abroad" or "he is my friend's friend" or "one of his aides is an acquaintance of mine"--someone we could ask to deliver the letters directly to President Obama. We think such connections could be useful in addition to official channels through embassies and the White House. If you have any suggestions as to how we could approach President Obama--no matter where in the world you live--please send them to Peace Seeds. Your ideas will help advance the realization of this project. Information and ideas can both be emailed to the editors of Peace Seeds with your name, address, phone number, and email address. The Peace Seeds staff will respond to you promptly. (Takeshi Suyama, 16, and Aoi Otomo, 14) |
English translators needed, too
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We are also calling for volunteers to translate selected letters from Japanese into English. If you have confidence in your English writing ability, please respond with your interest. Depending on the number of letters we receive, we will then contact you with translation work. And if you have email access, you won't need to come to the Chugoku Shimbun building in Hiroshima. To apply, please email us and let us know the level of your writing ability as well as your name, age, address, phone number, email address, and occupation (or school and grade, if you are a student). We look forward to hearing from you! (Yuka Iguchi, 13) |
All communication can be sent by email to: kidspj@chugoku-np.co.jp
By post, please use: Peace Seeds
The Chugoku Shimbun 7-1, Dobashi-cho, Naka-ku Hiroshima 730-8677 Japan
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