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Outline of Peace Declaration is announced

by Sakiko Masuda, Staff Writer

On August 2, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba announced the outline of the Peace Declaration he will read out on August 6 at the Peace Memorial Ceremony to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. With the aim of abolishing nuclear weapons by the year 2020, the declaration will call on the government of Japan, the A-bombed nation, to abandon the U.S. nuclear umbrella. For the first time, Mayor Akiba will deliver the Peace Declaration with a touch of Hiroshima dialect to convey the wish of Hiroshima citizens who pray that the tragedy of the bombing will never be repeated.

In addition, the Peace Declaration will call on the Japanese government to enshrine the three non-nuclear principles into law, expand the government-designated area where the "black rain" fell in the aftermath of the blast (the "heavy rain area"), and provide comprehensive relief measures for A-bomb survivors. The declaration will also call on Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan to appeal for the urgency of nuclear abolition to state leaders and exert leadership in the realization of a nuclear weapons convention.

Mayor Akiba explained at the press conference why he chose to include Hiroshima dialect in the declaration, saying that this aspect would accentuate the wish of the A-bomb survivors.

The declaration will praise the final document adopted at the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference held this past May, including language which indicates that a majority of NPT signatories are supportive of nuclear abolition efforts guided by timelines.

The declaration will point out that the leadership of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as the actions of U.S. President Barack Obama and the U.S. Conference of Mayors helped lead to this successful outcome.

The declaration will also touch on the "Hiroshima Appeal," which was adopted at the "Hiroshima Conference for the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons by 2020," held in late July in Hiroshima. The appeal expresses the determination for citizens and cities to join forces with governments and other entities in order to generate strong momentum to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020.

(Originally published on August 3, 2010)

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