German youths learn about peace in Hiroshima
Apr. 21, 2010
by Yoko Nitta, Staff Writer
On April 20, German youths who have been involved in volunteer activities in lieu of military service, along with others, began their peace education program "The Germany-Japan Peace Forum" in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. They will stay in Hiroshima until April 25 and learn about the consequences of the atomic bombing.
Twenty-three young men and women aged 19 to 21, including 19 men who are engaged in volunteer work in various locations in Japan, are taking part in the program. On the day, they read aloud, in German, poems written by Tamiki Hara and others in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in downtown Hiroshima. At Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, they listened to the A-bomb experience of Akihiro Takahashi, 78, former director of the museum and a resident of Nishi Ward.
Alexander Weiss, 20, who is working for a nongovernmental peace museum in the city of Nagasaki and serving as a guide there, commented, "When I heard Mr. Takahashi's A-bomb testimony, I could feel his pain."
In Germany, males are required to engage in military service for nine months. If conscientious objection to conscription is granted, the military service can be replaced by volunteer activities for the same length of time, or for one year when participating in volunteer activities overseas.
This peace seminar has been held since 2008 by a nonprofit organization (NPO) in Germany, among others, and this year's seminar is the third one.
(Originally published on April 21, 2010)
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German youths in Hiroshima, the peaceful legacy of Makoto Oda (March 17, 2008)
On April 20, German youths who have been involved in volunteer activities in lieu of military service, along with others, began their peace education program "The Germany-Japan Peace Forum" in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. They will stay in Hiroshima until April 25 and learn about the consequences of the atomic bombing.
Twenty-three young men and women aged 19 to 21, including 19 men who are engaged in volunteer work in various locations in Japan, are taking part in the program. On the day, they read aloud, in German, poems written by Tamiki Hara and others in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in downtown Hiroshima. At Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, they listened to the A-bomb experience of Akihiro Takahashi, 78, former director of the museum and a resident of Nishi Ward.
Alexander Weiss, 20, who is working for a nongovernmental peace museum in the city of Nagasaki and serving as a guide there, commented, "When I heard Mr. Takahashi's A-bomb testimony, I could feel his pain."
In Germany, males are required to engage in military service for nine months. If conscientious objection to conscription is granted, the military service can be replaced by volunteer activities for the same length of time, or for one year when participating in volunteer activities overseas.
This peace seminar has been held since 2008 by a nonprofit organization (NPO) in Germany, among others, and this year's seminar is the third one.
(Originally published on April 21, 2010)
Related articles
German youths in Hiroshima, the peaceful legacy of Makoto Oda (March 17, 2008)
