Kunihiko Sakuma, chair of Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, brings seeds from A-bombed tree to University of Oslo
Dec. 11, 2024
by Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writer
Oslo—Kunihiko Sakuma, 80, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), is currently visiting Oslo, Norway. On December 9, he brought seeds from a ginkgo tree that survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima to the University Botanical Garden in Oslo. He said, “The grand growth of A-bombed trees has been a source of encouragement for those still suffering from A-bomb-related illnesses.”
To commemorate the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bombs Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), Mayors of Peace, for which Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui serves as president, donated the seeds through Oslo City. In front of about 100 people, Mr. Sakuma addressed the crowd, saying, “A-bombed trees also hope for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons,” before planting the seeds in pots. Asa Gornitzka, 62, vice president of the University of Oslo who assisted the event, said, “I want people to see the A-bombed trees and think about what would happen if nuclear weapons were used.”
At the Botanical Garden, Mayor Matsui and others also planted seeds from an A-bombed tree when the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. The ginkgo trees planted at that time have since grown to about 1 meter tall.
(Originally published on December 11, 2024)
Oslo—Kunihiko Sakuma, 80, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), is currently visiting Oslo, Norway. On December 9, he brought seeds from a ginkgo tree that survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima to the University Botanical Garden in Oslo. He said, “The grand growth of A-bombed trees has been a source of encouragement for those still suffering from A-bomb-related illnesses.”
To commemorate the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bombs Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), Mayors of Peace, for which Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui serves as president, donated the seeds through Oslo City. In front of about 100 people, Mr. Sakuma addressed the crowd, saying, “A-bombed trees also hope for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons,” before planting the seeds in pots. Asa Gornitzka, 62, vice president of the University of Oslo who assisted the event, said, “I want people to see the A-bombed trees and think about what would happen if nuclear weapons were used.”
At the Botanical Garden, Mayor Matsui and others also planted seeds from an A-bombed tree when the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. The ginkgo trees planted at that time have since grown to about 1 meter tall.
(Originally published on December 11, 2024)
