U.S. ambassador, accompanied by Japan prime minister, will visit Hiroshima on February 26 to showcase alliance in nuclear disarmament
Feb. 20, 2022
by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer
On February 19, it was learned that the Japan and U.S. governments were making necessary arrangements for a possible visit by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, located in the A-bombed city’s Naka Ward, on February 26. A final decision will be made in consideration of the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues. Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (representing Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 1) is expected to accompany Mr. Emanuel. Mr. Kishida hopes to strengthen cooperation between the two nations in endeavoring to achieve a world without nuclear weapons, which he calls his life’s work.
By visiting Hiroshima only one month into his post, the ambassador is thought to be aiming to highlight the partnership between the two countries in the area of nuclear disarmament. According to a government source, Mr. Emanuel’s plans for the visit include touring the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and offering flowers at the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Minoru Terada (representing Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 5), a Kishida cabinet member who serves as special assistant to the prime minister in charge of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and other issues, will also guide the U.S. ambassador on his visit.
Mr. Emanuel, who served as former U.S. President Barack Obama’s first White House chief of staff, enjoys a close relationship with President Joe Biden, who was serving as vice president at the time Mr. Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016 as the first sitting U.S. president to make the trip. Mr. Emanuel arrived in Japan earlier this year on January 23 and met with Mr. Kishida for the first time on February 4. He expressed his desire to visit Hiroshima soon, and Mr. Kishida offered to accompany him.
For his part, Prime Minister Kishida hopes to use the opportunity to promote his idea for an international group of eminent persons conference aimed at realizing a world free of nuclear weapons. Mr. Kishida hopes to hold the conference meeting in Hiroshima sometime this year, inviting political leaders from around the world. According to a source close to the prime minister, Mr. Emanuel’s making reference to the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and delivery of a message concerning peace and disarmament on his Hiroshima visit could, it is believed, encourage world leaders to participate in the international conference meeting.
(Originally published on February 20, 2022)
On February 19, it was learned that the Japan and U.S. governments were making necessary arrangements for a possible visit by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, located in the A-bombed city’s Naka Ward, on February 26. A final decision will be made in consideration of the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues. Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (representing Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 1) is expected to accompany Mr. Emanuel. Mr. Kishida hopes to strengthen cooperation between the two nations in endeavoring to achieve a world without nuclear weapons, which he calls his life’s work.
By visiting Hiroshima only one month into his post, the ambassador is thought to be aiming to highlight the partnership between the two countries in the area of nuclear disarmament. According to a government source, Mr. Emanuel’s plans for the visit include touring the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and offering flowers at the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Minoru Terada (representing Hiroshima Prefecture’s District No. 5), a Kishida cabinet member who serves as special assistant to the prime minister in charge of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and other issues, will also guide the U.S. ambassador on his visit.
Mr. Emanuel, who served as former U.S. President Barack Obama’s first White House chief of staff, enjoys a close relationship with President Joe Biden, who was serving as vice president at the time Mr. Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016 as the first sitting U.S. president to make the trip. Mr. Emanuel arrived in Japan earlier this year on January 23 and met with Mr. Kishida for the first time on February 4. He expressed his desire to visit Hiroshima soon, and Mr. Kishida offered to accompany him.
For his part, Prime Minister Kishida hopes to use the opportunity to promote his idea for an international group of eminent persons conference aimed at realizing a world free of nuclear weapons. Mr. Kishida hopes to hold the conference meeting in Hiroshima sometime this year, inviting political leaders from around the world. According to a source close to the prime minister, Mr. Emanuel’s making reference to the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and delivery of a message concerning peace and disarmament on his Hiroshima visit could, it is believed, encourage world leaders to participate in the international conference meeting.
(Originally published on February 20, 2022)
