-Five Members, including Hibakusha

The five members of the first Hiroshima World Peace Mission sponsored by Hiroshima International Cultural Foundation, which is slated to visit the Middle East and Africa, were chosen on March 15. The group, which includes one A-bomb survivor, will leave toward the end of March. They will deliver eye-witness testimonies and hold A-bomb exhibitions to convey the reality of the atomic bombings. They will also engage in dialogue with local residents and political leaders, hoping to build trust and assist in conflict resolution.

The individuals selected were Takashi Teramoto (69), a volunteer guide in the Peace Memorial Museum (Ohno-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture); Shizuko Tsuya (48), a pharmacist who sends medical supplies to Palestinian children (Higashi-ku, Hiroshima City); Yoshihiko Fujimoto (39), associate professor of Hiroshima University of Economics, an expert on apartheid in South Africa (Nishi-ku); Akira Koyama (24), a college graduate studying English at Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages (Higashi-ku); and Haruka Katarao (21), a third-year major in international political science at Tsuda Colledge from Asakita-ku (Kodaira City, Tokyo).

The five were chosen from 35 applicants in Japan and overseas who sent in written applications and underwent interviews. The Hiroshima World Peace Mission, located in the Chugoku Shimbun headquarters (Naka-ku, Hiroshima City), is researching the status of nuclear development and the status and history of ethnic conflicts in regions under consideration for a visit. Chugoku Shimbun reporters are expected to accompany the first group, which will visit South Africa and Iran for about five weeks.

Teramoto said, "Repeated revenge will never bring peace. I want to tell my A-bomb experience to show people that nuclear war will destroy society." Katarao said, "I want to grope for a path to build peace through dialogue." Both are eager to participate in the peace mission.

(Caption)(from above) Takashi Teramoto, Shizuko Tsuya, Yoshihiko Fujimoto, Akira Koyama and Haruka Katarao