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Junior Writers Reporting

Guides for A-bomb monuments, a group within the Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union Hiroshima

Handing down the importance of peace

A group of guides for A-bomb monuments is one of the activities of the Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union (JCCU) Hiroshima, located in Hatsukaichi City. The group is working to hand down the importance of peace by serving as guides for monuments which convey the destruction of the atomic bombing. This effort stems from a principle of the JCCU movement: “Build a peaceful society.”

The activity was launched in 1988, and currently there are 13 guides. The group receives requests from across Japan, and each year they serve as guides for about 9,000 people, from children to adults. In particular, they assist many students who visit Hiroshima on school trips.

The junior writers were given the opportunity to join a tour with a guide from the JCCU Hiroshima group and those who were training to become guides.

The guide that day was Mitsuko Hiraoka, 73. About 20 years ago, an A-bomb survivor told her, “Now that we’re getting older, please hand down our experience on our behalf.” These words struck Ms. Hiraoka, and inspired her to become a guide.

On our tour, which lasted about two hours, we visited 15 sites, including Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the A-bomb Dome, both located in the city center. In front of the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, Ms. Hiraoka explained that the ashes of about 70,000 unidentified victims of the bombing are found inside, remains that have gone unclaimed. She said, “We mustn’t forget what happened in Hiroshima.” One of the participants responded, “So many people lost their lives. Nuclear weapons must never be used again.”

The group of guides is also involved in training youth guides. Ms. Hiraoka said, “We want young people, the leaders of the next generation, to convey to others what they’ve seen and heard.” The junior writers, too, should spread this message widely, in order to build a world without nuclear weapons. (Mei Morimoto, 15 and Harumi Okada, 15)

(Originally published on May 5, 2014)

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