Council to support meeting of foreign ministers in Hiroshima holds first gathering
Sep. 17, 2015
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
On September 8, a council to promote the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Hiroshima was established by 18 governmental and private groups, including Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima City, the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce, and the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi). The council will promote the success of the meeting of foreign ministers in Hiroshima next April, prior to the G7 summit in Ise-Shima, by conveying the reality of the A-bomb damage and Hiroshima’s appeal for nuclear abolition and peace to the foreign ministers of the G7 nations, including nuclear powers.
Other groups taking part in the council are the Chugoku Economic Federation and the Hiroshima Tourist Association. On this day, the council’s first meeting took place at a hotel in Minami Ward. A total of 13 members of the council, including Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki; Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui; Hideki Fukayama, the chairman of the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce; and Mr. Tsuboi attended the gathering. A representative of the mayor of Nagasaki attended as an observer.
Mr. Matsui was elected chairperson of the council. The office of the secretariat in Hiroshima City explained its plans for the meeting, with this proposal consisting of four categories: “logistics,” to mitigate traffic congestion due to road restrictions; “peace efforts,” to set up a booth for exhibiting A-bomb materials and photo panels at the meeting venue; “promotion,” to produce commemorative items for the participants and promote tourism; and “momentum,” to pursue prior events for citizens and produce publications. One participant proposed that the commemorative items be things created with Hiroshima’s best technologies.
The budget for these efforts is estimated at 60 million yen for this fiscal year, and 15 million yen for the next fiscal year, which will be covered by Hiroshima City and Hiroshima Prefecture. In his opening remarks, Mr. Matsui appealed to the participants by saying, “The meeting of foreign ministers is a perfect opportunity to ensure that the foreign ministers will embody a strong desire to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons. I hope all of us in Hiroshima will work together to make this meeting a great success.”
The meeting of foreign ministers will be held on April 10 and 11. The U.S. secretary of state, as well as the foreign ministers from two other nuclear weapon states, the United Kingdom and France, will visit the A-bombed city for this conference.
(Originally published on September 9, 2015)
On September 8, a council to promote the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Hiroshima was established by 18 governmental and private groups, including Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima City, the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce, and the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi). The council will promote the success of the meeting of foreign ministers in Hiroshima next April, prior to the G7 summit in Ise-Shima, by conveying the reality of the A-bomb damage and Hiroshima’s appeal for nuclear abolition and peace to the foreign ministers of the G7 nations, including nuclear powers.
Other groups taking part in the council are the Chugoku Economic Federation and the Hiroshima Tourist Association. On this day, the council’s first meeting took place at a hotel in Minami Ward. A total of 13 members of the council, including Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki; Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui; Hideki Fukayama, the chairman of the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce; and Mr. Tsuboi attended the gathering. A representative of the mayor of Nagasaki attended as an observer.
Mr. Matsui was elected chairperson of the council. The office of the secretariat in Hiroshima City explained its plans for the meeting, with this proposal consisting of four categories: “logistics,” to mitigate traffic congestion due to road restrictions; “peace efforts,” to set up a booth for exhibiting A-bomb materials and photo panels at the meeting venue; “promotion,” to produce commemorative items for the participants and promote tourism; and “momentum,” to pursue prior events for citizens and produce publications. One participant proposed that the commemorative items be things created with Hiroshima’s best technologies.
The budget for these efforts is estimated at 60 million yen for this fiscal year, and 15 million yen for the next fiscal year, which will be covered by Hiroshima City and Hiroshima Prefecture. In his opening remarks, Mr. Matsui appealed to the participants by saying, “The meeting of foreign ministers is a perfect opportunity to ensure that the foreign ministers will embody a strong desire to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons. I hope all of us in Hiroshima will work together to make this meeting a great success.”
The meeting of foreign ministers will be held on April 10 and 11. The U.S. secretary of state, as well as the foreign ministers from two other nuclear weapon states, the United Kingdom and France, will visit the A-bombed city for this conference.
(Originally published on September 9, 2015)
