Hiroshima Summit, May 19-21: Prime Minister fully considers visit to Peace Memorial Museum by leaders of G7 to convey reality of A-bombing
Feb. 21, 2023
by Koji Higuchi, Staff Writer
On February 20, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave a speech in Tokyo and said he was fully considering a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward, by the leaders of the nations at the summit meeting of the G7 (The Group of Seven industrialized nations), to be held in Hiroshima in May. The visit to the museum has been strongly demanded by Hiroshima Prefecture and the City, and this is the first time the prime minister himself has mentioned it in public.
According to officials, the Japanese government is coordinating to include the visit to the museum on May 19, the first day of the summit. In his speech, the prime minister stressed the importance of conveying the reality of the atomic bombings to the G7 leaders and the rest of the world as a starting point for all efforts.
The Japanese government is also considering the realization of a meeting between an A-bomb survivor and the G7 leaders. The focus will be on whether the United States, which dropped A-bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will give its approval.
Referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its repeated threats to use nuclear weapons, the prime minister said it was highly significant for the G7 leaders to gather in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima to discuss nuclear disarmament.
He explained that Japan made the decision at the end of last year to make a major shift in its security strategy against the backdrop of military activities by China and North Korea, and stressed that the first priority should be diplomatic efforts.
The speech was organized by the Tokyo-based Japan Institute of International Affairs, a think tank.
(Originally published on February 21, 2023)
On February 20, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave a speech in Tokyo and said he was fully considering a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward, by the leaders of the nations at the summit meeting of the G7 (The Group of Seven industrialized nations), to be held in Hiroshima in May. The visit to the museum has been strongly demanded by Hiroshima Prefecture and the City, and this is the first time the prime minister himself has mentioned it in public.
According to officials, the Japanese government is coordinating to include the visit to the museum on May 19, the first day of the summit. In his speech, the prime minister stressed the importance of conveying the reality of the atomic bombings to the G7 leaders and the rest of the world as a starting point for all efforts.
The Japanese government is also considering the realization of a meeting between an A-bomb survivor and the G7 leaders. The focus will be on whether the United States, which dropped A-bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will give its approval.
Referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its repeated threats to use nuclear weapons, the prime minister said it was highly significant for the G7 leaders to gather in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima to discuss nuclear disarmament.
He explained that Japan made the decision at the end of last year to make a major shift in its security strategy against the backdrop of military activities by China and North Korea, and stressed that the first priority should be diplomatic efforts.
The speech was organized by the Tokyo-based Japan Institute of International Affairs, a think tank.
(Originally published on February 21, 2023)
