News

by Yuji Yamamoto, Staff Writer

The World Friendship Center (WFC), a non-profit organization based in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, will commemorate its 60th anniversary in August this year. The organization has been conveying the horrors of the atomic bombing and the importance of peace at the grassroots level. Carrying on the vision of Barbara Reynolds, the American peace activist who played a central role in its founding, it welcomes people from Japan and abroad who come to learn about Hiroshima.

One of the persistent efforts the WFC has been focusing on holding sessions where A-bomb survivors give their testimonies. At the end of May, three travelers from New Zealand stayed at the WFC and listened to Tamiyuki Okahara, 86, in the living room. Mr. Okahara, who is affectionately called Tami-san, recounted his father’s atomic bomb experience in a friendly atmosphere.

Mr. Okahara began learning English conversation at the WFC about 20 years ago and started giving testimonies in English around 2014. With gestures, he explained to the three travelers how his late father received severe head injuries about 800 meters from the hypocenter and later suffered acute radiation sickness.

Susan Brierley, 71, a former editor, listened with a serious look. She said she would never forget Tami-san’s testimony. She also said that, just like their meeting at the WFC, creating friendships between diverse people one step at a time would one day create a strong chain of advocates for peace. By May this year, 50 people from 11 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and South Korea, had stayed at the simple lodging facility attached to the WFC office, which moved to the current location in October 2024.

Such meetings must have taken place 60 years ago as well. The WFC’s efforts to convey the voices of the A-bombed city to the world date back to the World Peace Pilgrimage made in 1962 and 1964, in which hibakusha toured the U.S., Europe, and other regions.

Ms. Reynolds established the WFC on August 7, 1965, with atomic bomb survivors who participated in the pilgrimage. Hiromu Morishita, 94, of Saeki Ward is honorary chair of the WFC. Looking back, he said, “We didn’t just tell our experiences to people in those countries, but we learned about their views of peace. We discussed how to make the most of our pilgrimage experiences.”

The first activity report published in 1967 is kept at the WFC office. It documents activities in English, such as welfare services including opening a facility where elderly people could live together and bazaars where handmade crafts were sold. The report said that many survivors were too frail to get a regular job and needed hospital care and that the organization wanted to create an association that helps them have self-respect and the chance to live a decent life.

The WFC expanded its activities to include guided tours of Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward, and tours of trees that survived the atomic bombing. Some 120 members support its activities both materially and spiritually. Considering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the fighting in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip, Mr. Morishita said, “The world situation is grave, but the WFC’s mission is continuing our activities,” through which he believes they can carry out the wishes of Ms. Reynolds.


Tachibana, chair of WFC

The Chugoku Shimbun interviewed Shizuo Tachibana, 69, chair of the WFC, about the history and future of the WFC.

We have been able to continue our activities thanks to the wishes of many hibakusha and people who hope to create a world without nuclear weapons or war. Their wishes matter to us.

The WFC was founded for the purpose of supporting hibakusha financially and mentally. Though the suffering hibakusha face may have changed throughout the course of time, we have always been considering what we can do for them.

My father was a hibakusha. As I wanted to be involved in peace activities, I joined the WFC in the 1980s. The time will come when survivors themselves can no longer tell of their experiences. Yet, there are and will be things we can do, such as providing places where visitors from overseas can discuss what they felt in Hiroshima and their thoughts on peace, or conveying the experiences of the bombing through videos, poetry, and other means.

Sixty years ago, citizens of Hiroshima joined hands, and the WFC was born. We want to collaborate with various citizens groups again and join together as one to build world peace.

Commemorative event to be held on June 14

The WFC will hold a commemorative event for its 60th anniversary from 10:00 a.m. on June 14 at JMS Aster Plaza in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. Admission is free.

The event will feature video messages from Jessica Renshaw, daughter of Barbara Reynolds, and former directors of the WFC, as well as a reading of the play “The Face of Jiro” with English subtitles.

The date was chosen because it is close to June 12, Ms. Reynolds’ birthday. On June 12, 2011, a monument to Ms. Reynolds was unveiled. For further information, call the WFC at 082-503-3191.

Major events involving WFC
1962 First World Peace Pilgrimage
1964 Second Hiroshima-Nagasaki World Peace Pilgrimage
1965 WFC established. Tomin Harada appointed first chair
1969 Barbara Reynolds returns to U.S.
1970 Third World Peace Pilgrimage. Continues thereafter
1975 Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Collection established at Wilmington University, Ohio, U.S. Mainly materials collected by Reynolds.
　 Reynolds awarded title of Honorary Citizen of Hiroshima
1990 Reynolds passes away at age 74
1991 Peace Ambassador Exchange Program launched
1995 Holds the art exhibition celebrating hope for its 30th anniversary
2000 Receives Kiyoshi Tanimoto Peace Prize
2009 Becomes non-profit organization
2011 Monument to Reynolds unveiled on south side of Peace Memorial Park
2024 Office moves to current location

(Originally published on June 10, 2025)