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U.S. Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe plants sapling from A-bombed tree with wish for peace

by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer

The City of Hiroshima sent a sapling from a Chinese parasol tree, a second-generation growth from a tree that survived the atomic bombing, to the United States Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe. The sapling was then planted in the garden of the Consul General’s official residence in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. Allen Greenberg, 58, the U.S. Consul General in Osaka-Kobe, proposed the idea of planting the young tree as a symbol of friendship between Japan and the United States to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

At the tree planting ceremony held at the official residence, Mr. Greenberg conveyed a message from Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. Ambassador in Tokyo, which stated that the little sapling would be a symbol of cooperation for peace between Japan and the United States. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who was invited to the ceremony, welcomed the event by saying, “This is a positive gesture of friendly and forward-looking relations between Japan and the United States.” Six people, including Mr. Greenberg; Mr. Matsui; Yasuyoshi Komizo, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation; and Kazutaka Yamamoto, the president of the Japan-America Society of Hiroshima, shoveled earth over the roots of the 70 centimeter-high Chinese parasol tree with the wish for it to grow well.

In April, when a dogwood tree was given by the U.S. government to the City of Hiroshima, Mr. Greenberg took part in the tree planting ceremony. At the time, he learned that Mayors for Peace, for which Mr. Matsui serves as president, has been sending the seeds and saplings of A-bombed trees to other locations in Japan and overseas. He then requested that the City of Hiroshima provide a sapling to the U.S. Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe. In an interview with the Chugoku Shimbun, Mr. Greenberg expressed his hopes for the tree, saying, “I hope planting this sapling will give us the opportunity to think about peace and prosperity for the future, and good relations between Japan and the United States.”

(Originally published on November 3, 2015)

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