Hiroshima Peace Declaration on 77th commemoration of Hiroshima A-bombing: Amid Ukraine invasion, calls to “render all nuclear buttons meaningless,” eliminate nuclear weapons
Aug. 7, 2022
by Masanori Wada, Staff Writer
On August 6, 77 years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States military, the Hiroshima City government held the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony at Peace Memorial Park, in the city’s Naka Ward. Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and suggestion of nuclear weapons’ use, Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui used his Peace Declaration to express a sense of crisis about the increased momentum around the world for the idea of peace that is dependent on nuclear deterrence. “We must immediately render all nuclear buttons meaningless,” said Mr. Matsui as he called instead for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, elected as a representative of Hiroshima, attended the ceremony for the first time since taking office. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also joined in the prayers on the anniversary of the atomic bombing, becoming the first top UN official to attend the ceremony in 12 years.
In his Peace Declaration, Mayor Matsui said that the idea of nuclear deterrence is a betrayal of “humanity's determination, born of our experiences of war, to achieve a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons.” He also warned about the threat of nuclear weapons, quoting the words of the renowned Russian author Leo Tolstoy: “Never build your happiness on the misfortune of others.”
Mayor Matsui called on the leaders of nuclear weapons states to personally confront the consequences of nuclear weapons’ use in the A-bombed cities and strengthen their determination to take steps to eliminate such weapons. He expressed his strong expectations for the leaders who are scheduled to attend the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations), to be held in Hiroshima City next May. He also demanded that Japan’s national government first serve as a mediator between nuclear and non-nuclear weapons states at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which was being held in New York City, and then ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
The ceremony began at 8:00 a.m. Mayor Matsui and two representatives of families of A-bomb victims placed a register of A-bomb victims in the stone chest beneath the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, located in Peace Memorial Park. After the names of the 4,978 Hiroshima A-bomb victims whose deaths were confirmed during the past year were added, the register consisted of a total of 123 volumes and 333,907 victims’ names. At 8:15 a.m., the time the atomic bomb was dropped, all attendees observed a minute of silence as the Peace Bell was struck by Shinji Yoneda, 45, a resident of Hiroshima’s Nishi Ward who served in the ceremony as a representative of victims’ families, and Himari Masumoto, 12, a resident of the city’s Naka Ward and a sixth grader at Takeya Elementary School who served as one of the children’s representatives.
Other children’s representatives, Barbara Alex, 12, and Rin Yamasaki, 11, sixth graders at Nobori-cho Elementary School and Nakajima Elementary School, respectively, read aloud the Commitment to Peace. “We solemnly swear to take action for the creation of a future where peace is reflected in the eyes of everyone around the world,” intoned the two representatives.
In 2020 and 2021, the city greatly reduced the scale of the event, with the aim of preventing further spread of the coronavirus. This year, the city prepared seating for around 3,550 participants, four times the number of the previous years’ seating capacity. Ultimately, about 700 people did not attend due to the rapid spread of the virus experienced at that time, making a total of 2,854 participants at the ceremony. Of that total, 27 people served as representatives of victims’ families from prefectures throughout Japan. In addition, representatives from 99 overseas nations and regions and the European Union were also present. Against the backdrop of the Ukraine situation, the city government did not invite government representatives from Russia or Belarus.
Following the July 8 shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the city government and Hiroshima prefectural police stepped up security measures for the ceremony. For the first time, metal detectors were used to check for the presence of dangerous articles as attendees entered the venue.
(Originally published on August 7, 2022)
On August 6, 77 years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States military, the Hiroshima City government held the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony at Peace Memorial Park, in the city’s Naka Ward. Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and suggestion of nuclear weapons’ use, Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui used his Peace Declaration to express a sense of crisis about the increased momentum around the world for the idea of peace that is dependent on nuclear deterrence. “We must immediately render all nuclear buttons meaningless,” said Mr. Matsui as he called instead for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, elected as a representative of Hiroshima, attended the ceremony for the first time since taking office. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also joined in the prayers on the anniversary of the atomic bombing, becoming the first top UN official to attend the ceremony in 12 years.
In his Peace Declaration, Mayor Matsui said that the idea of nuclear deterrence is a betrayal of “humanity's determination, born of our experiences of war, to achieve a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons.” He also warned about the threat of nuclear weapons, quoting the words of the renowned Russian author Leo Tolstoy: “Never build your happiness on the misfortune of others.”
Mayor Matsui called on the leaders of nuclear weapons states to personally confront the consequences of nuclear weapons’ use in the A-bombed cities and strengthen their determination to take steps to eliminate such weapons. He expressed his strong expectations for the leaders who are scheduled to attend the summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations), to be held in Hiroshima City next May. He also demanded that Japan’s national government first serve as a mediator between nuclear and non-nuclear weapons states at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which was being held in New York City, and then ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
The ceremony began at 8:00 a.m. Mayor Matsui and two representatives of families of A-bomb victims placed a register of A-bomb victims in the stone chest beneath the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, located in Peace Memorial Park. After the names of the 4,978 Hiroshima A-bomb victims whose deaths were confirmed during the past year were added, the register consisted of a total of 123 volumes and 333,907 victims’ names. At 8:15 a.m., the time the atomic bomb was dropped, all attendees observed a minute of silence as the Peace Bell was struck by Shinji Yoneda, 45, a resident of Hiroshima’s Nishi Ward who served in the ceremony as a representative of victims’ families, and Himari Masumoto, 12, a resident of the city’s Naka Ward and a sixth grader at Takeya Elementary School who served as one of the children’s representatives.
Other children’s representatives, Barbara Alex, 12, and Rin Yamasaki, 11, sixth graders at Nobori-cho Elementary School and Nakajima Elementary School, respectively, read aloud the Commitment to Peace. “We solemnly swear to take action for the creation of a future where peace is reflected in the eyes of everyone around the world,” intoned the two representatives.
In 2020 and 2021, the city greatly reduced the scale of the event, with the aim of preventing further spread of the coronavirus. This year, the city prepared seating for around 3,550 participants, four times the number of the previous years’ seating capacity. Ultimately, about 700 people did not attend due to the rapid spread of the virus experienced at that time, making a total of 2,854 participants at the ceremony. Of that total, 27 people served as representatives of victims’ families from prefectures throughout Japan. In addition, representatives from 99 overseas nations and regions and the European Union were also present. Against the backdrop of the Ukraine situation, the city government did not invite government representatives from Russia or Belarus.
Following the July 8 shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the city government and Hiroshima prefectural police stepped up security measures for the ceremony. For the first time, metal detectors were used to check for the presence of dangerous articles as attendees entered the venue.
(Originally published on August 7, 2022)
