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Participants in Hiroshima nuclear abolition conference visit Peace Memorial Park

by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer

On July 27, participants in the "Hiroshima Conference for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons by 2020," an event co-sponsored by Mayors for Peace and the City of Hiroshima, toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The participants, who are from local and national governments and NGOs, both in Japan and abroad, learned about the true impact of the atomic bombing prior to the opening of the conference, which is being held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima on July 28 and 29.

Nearly 40 people, from such nations as Sri Lanka and Costa Rica, visited the A-bomb Dome and other locations guided by Koichiro Maeda, director of Peace Memorial Museum. At the museum, they looked closely at a panoramic model which shows the horrific state of the city in the aftermath of the bombing. They offered white chrysanthemums, one each, at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims.

A lawmaker from Ghana, George Boakye, said that the tour made him realize that both leaders and citizens of the world should understand the real consequences of the bombing by visiting Hiroshima.

The conference begins at 9 a.m. on July 28 and concludes the following day. Nearly 300 people will discuss such topics as the role of citizens in the quest for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The discussion is open to the public.

(Originally published on July 28, 2010)

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