Hiroshima Appeals: All 28 posters on display together in Canada
Jun. 10, 2025
by Yuji Yamamoto, Staff Writer
An exhibition displaying the posters of Hiroshima Appeals, an initiative that promotes nuclear abolition and peace through design, is being held in Toronto, Canada. The poster exhibition was the first to be organized by the Japan Foundation, Toronto at its facilities, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. All 28 posters from the series are being displayed together, drawing interest from the public.
Posters ranging from the first, titled “Burning Butterflies” (1983), to the latest, “The Powerful Message of Left-behind Objects” (2024), are being exhibited in the foundation’s gallery. Leading Japanese designers created the posters, with the Japan Graphic Design Association Inc. (JAGDA), which produces the series, providing the artworks to the foundation.
Since 1998, the foundation has held solo exhibitions of posters by Japanese designers in an attempt to inform the public about Japanese culture and art. Included among such exhibitions was the exhibition of the Hiroshima Appeals poster. The poster project’s message expressing a desire for peace that transcends national borders resonated with the foundation and led to the exhibition.
The foundation is located in the city’s downtown cultural district in which are concentrated art museums and universities. Visitors of various nationalities who witness the exhibition of high-quality art are described as using such words as “touching” and “cool.”
Noriko Yamamoto, executive director at The Japan Foundation, Toronto, said, “The highlight of the exhibition is the fact that all of the posters are included. People get a sense of the great effort with which Japanese designers have tackled the theme of world peace.” The poster exhibition opened earlier this year in April and runs through December 20. Admission is free.
Yoshio Kawahara, director of the Hiroshima Chapter of the JAGDA organization, expressed his delight, saying, “The posters make a visual appeal about the A-bombed Hiroshima and peace even without the use of words. I hope their message spreads to even more countries.”
(Originally published on June 10, 2025)
An exhibition displaying the posters of Hiroshima Appeals, an initiative that promotes nuclear abolition and peace through design, is being held in Toronto, Canada. The poster exhibition was the first to be organized by the Japan Foundation, Toronto at its facilities, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. All 28 posters from the series are being displayed together, drawing interest from the public.
Posters ranging from the first, titled “Burning Butterflies” (1983), to the latest, “The Powerful Message of Left-behind Objects” (2024), are being exhibited in the foundation’s gallery. Leading Japanese designers created the posters, with the Japan Graphic Design Association Inc. (JAGDA), which produces the series, providing the artworks to the foundation.
Since 1998, the foundation has held solo exhibitions of posters by Japanese designers in an attempt to inform the public about Japanese culture and art. Included among such exhibitions was the exhibition of the Hiroshima Appeals poster. The poster project’s message expressing a desire for peace that transcends national borders resonated with the foundation and led to the exhibition.
The foundation is located in the city’s downtown cultural district in which are concentrated art museums and universities. Visitors of various nationalities who witness the exhibition of high-quality art are described as using such words as “touching” and “cool.”
Noriko Yamamoto, executive director at The Japan Foundation, Toronto, said, “The highlight of the exhibition is the fact that all of the posters are included. People get a sense of the great effort with which Japanese designers have tackled the theme of world peace.” The poster exhibition opened earlier this year in April and runs through December 20. Admission is free.
Yoshio Kawahara, director of the Hiroshima Chapter of the JAGDA organization, expressed his delight, saying, “The posters make a visual appeal about the A-bombed Hiroshima and peace even without the use of words. I hope their message spreads to even more countries.”
(Originally published on June 10, 2025)
