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Junior Writers Reporting

HPS International Volunteers promote offerings of flowers at the A-bomb cenotaph

HPS International Volunteers, an NPO based in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, is engaged in an effort to have 1,000 people offer flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Peace Memorial Park each year on January 1.

The group launched this activity in 2005, the year marking the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing, in order to comfort the souls of the A-bomb victims. On that day, many families and visitors, from both Japan and abroad, pay their respects at the cenotaph, and all 1,000 flowers are offered to the memorial by noon. Mothers have been seen giving a flower to their small children, who then offer it to the cenotaph.

The acronym “HPS” stands for “Hiroshima Peace Station.” The name embraces the hope that Hiroshima can serve as a station for conveying peace to the world.

The group has about 40 members, ranging in age from their teens to their 70s. The members of the group also help keep Peace Memorial Park tidy and promote a picture book about the atomic bombing entitled “My Hiroshima.”

Hiroe Sato, 74, the leader of the group and a resident of Nishi Ward, was seven years old at the time of the bombing. She lost her elder brother in the blast, and entered the area affected by radiation in the aftermath. “I want people to understand the folly of war and the horror of nuclear weapons,” she said. “If we ponder the preciousness of life, and try to have compassion for others, we can make a world that’s free from conflict.” (Saaya Teranishi, 16)

(Originally Published on December 3, 2012)

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