City of Hiroshima to pursue bid to host G8 summit in 2016
Aug. 8, 2014
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer
On August 5, it was learned that the City of Hiroshima has decided to make a bid to host the G8 summit meeting scheduled for Japan in 2016. The city has concluded that it can meet the criteria issued by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for hosting the event. If the city wins the bid, the event will offer an excellent opportunity for the leaders of the nuclear powers, including U.S. President Barack Obama, to contact the reality of the atomic bombing. A council to promote the bidding effort for the summit, comprised of such entities as the City of Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, and the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be established on August 7 to officially announce this intention.
The City of Hiroshima has looked closely at the state of convention facilities and transportation in the city, among other factors, since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided the conditions for hosting the event on July 25. Although challenges remain in certain areas, including accommodations, consultations with the ministry have led the city to believe that it can fulfill the necessary criteria. Relevant documents will be submitted to the ministry by the end of August, the deadline for the bid.
The council for promoting the bid will consist of eight entities, including Hiroshima Prefecture, the City of Hiroshima, the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, and the Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau. For the first meeting, to take place in Minami Ward, top leaders like Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, and Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chair Hideki Fukayama will gather to discuss the council’s plans to unite the public and private sectors. Mr. Matsui is expected to serve as president of the group. The members of the council will coordinate their activities and visit Tokyo later this month to lobby the prime minister’s office and other organs of the government. They will also work together to pursue further visits, this fall and beyond, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other locations.
In May, Mr. Matsui announced that the city was studying whether or not to bid on the summit. At the time, he spoke positively about the event, saying that hosting the summit in Hiroshima would be an ideal opportunity for world leaders to contact the reality of the atomic bombing and make use of their experience as they pursue their nation’s policies. Mr. Yuzaki, too, had showed his support for hosting the summit.
(Originally published on August 6, 2014)
On August 5, it was learned that the City of Hiroshima has decided to make a bid to host the G8 summit meeting scheduled for Japan in 2016. The city has concluded that it can meet the criteria issued by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for hosting the event. If the city wins the bid, the event will offer an excellent opportunity for the leaders of the nuclear powers, including U.S. President Barack Obama, to contact the reality of the atomic bombing. A council to promote the bidding effort for the summit, comprised of such entities as the City of Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, and the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be established on August 7 to officially announce this intention.
The City of Hiroshima has looked closely at the state of convention facilities and transportation in the city, among other factors, since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided the conditions for hosting the event on July 25. Although challenges remain in certain areas, including accommodations, consultations with the ministry have led the city to believe that it can fulfill the necessary criteria. Relevant documents will be submitted to the ministry by the end of August, the deadline for the bid.
The council for promoting the bid will consist of eight entities, including Hiroshima Prefecture, the City of Hiroshima, the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, and the Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau. For the first meeting, to take place in Minami Ward, top leaders like Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, and Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chair Hideki Fukayama will gather to discuss the council’s plans to unite the public and private sectors. Mr. Matsui is expected to serve as president of the group. The members of the council will coordinate their activities and visit Tokyo later this month to lobby the prime minister’s office and other organs of the government. They will also work together to pursue further visits, this fall and beyond, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other locations.
In May, Mr. Matsui announced that the city was studying whether or not to bid on the summit. At the time, he spoke positively about the event, saying that hosting the summit in Hiroshima would be an ideal opportunity for world leaders to contact the reality of the atomic bombing and make use of their experience as they pursue their nation’s policies. Mr. Yuzaki, too, had showed his support for hosting the summit.
(Originally published on August 6, 2014)
