[Hiroshima Summit May 19 to 21] Turning to summit mode: International Media Center opens. Prime Minister to greet other leaders at Peace Memorial Park
May 14, 2023
by Yo Kono and Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writers
On May 13, the Japanese government held an opening ceremony for the “International Media Center” established at the Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium in Naka Ward for the upcoming summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations) which will begin in Hiroshima on May 19. This center will serve as a base for the news media covering the summit, and communicate the reality of damages wrought by the atomic bombing as well as the charms of local products made in Hiroshima Prefecture. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida observed the center, and expressed the idea of greeting leader couples from each nation at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward on the first day of the summit, alongside Yuko, his wife.
In the opening ceremony, Mr. Kishida said, “It will be the most important summit in Japanese history. I will take a lead in discussions and move forward an effort to realize a world without nuclear weapons.” On behalf of student volunteers who will provide logistical support to the summit, Haruya Eda, 21, a fourth-year student at Hiroshima University, expressed his determination, by saying, “I feel a little bit nervous because I have had difficulties in doing activities in public because of the Covid-19 pandemic so far, but want to contribute to the success of the summit.”
The media center has provided some facilities such as a press conference room. Two thousand to three thousand journalists from Japan and overseas are likely to stay in the center. The center also displays panoramic photographs of cityscapes taken before and after the atomic bombing as well as those from the present. Local sake and craft products are on display, too.
After the ceremony, Mr. Kishida also visited Peace Memorial Park, and responded to questions from the media, by highlighting, “Thoroughly passing down the real experience of the atomic bombing to others is fundamental to all efforts regarding nuclear disarmament.” He revealed he would visit Peace Memorial Park with leaders from the participating nations and a head of an international organization again on May 21 as well as the summit’s commencement date. Regarding the schedule of U.S. president Joe Biden’s visit to Japan, where the possibility of him attending online has been raised, he said, “I haven’t received any updates about a schedule change from the U.S. government at the moment.”
(Originally published on May 14, 2023)
On May 13, the Japanese government held an opening ceremony for the “International Media Center” established at the Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium in Naka Ward for the upcoming summit meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven industrialized nations) which will begin in Hiroshima on May 19. This center will serve as a base for the news media covering the summit, and communicate the reality of damages wrought by the atomic bombing as well as the charms of local products made in Hiroshima Prefecture. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida observed the center, and expressed the idea of greeting leader couples from each nation at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward on the first day of the summit, alongside Yuko, his wife.
In the opening ceremony, Mr. Kishida said, “It will be the most important summit in Japanese history. I will take a lead in discussions and move forward an effort to realize a world without nuclear weapons.” On behalf of student volunteers who will provide logistical support to the summit, Haruya Eda, 21, a fourth-year student at Hiroshima University, expressed his determination, by saying, “I feel a little bit nervous because I have had difficulties in doing activities in public because of the Covid-19 pandemic so far, but want to contribute to the success of the summit.”
The media center has provided some facilities such as a press conference room. Two thousand to three thousand journalists from Japan and overseas are likely to stay in the center. The center also displays panoramic photographs of cityscapes taken before and after the atomic bombing as well as those from the present. Local sake and craft products are on display, too.
After the ceremony, Mr. Kishida also visited Peace Memorial Park, and responded to questions from the media, by highlighting, “Thoroughly passing down the real experience of the atomic bombing to others is fundamental to all efforts regarding nuclear disarmament.” He revealed he would visit Peace Memorial Park with leaders from the participating nations and a head of an international organization again on May 21 as well as the summit’s commencement date. Regarding the schedule of U.S. president Joe Biden’s visit to Japan, where the possibility of him attending online has been raised, he said, “I haven’t received any updates about a schedule change from the U.S. government at the moment.”
(Originally published on May 14, 2023)
