Paris mayor offers flowers at A-bomb cenotaph in Hiroshima
Mar. 18, 2016
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
On March 2, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, France, a nuclear weapon state, visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. In the wake of the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris last November, Ms. Hidalgo said that she hopes to strengthen ties with the A-bombed city in the areas of education and culture to promote a more peaceful world.
At the Children’s Peace Monument, which stands in the park, the Paris mayor interacted with members of the student council from Noborimachi Junior High School in Naka Ward. The students explained their school’s efforts to remember Sadako Sasaki, the girl who became the inspiration for the monument after she died of radiation-induced leukemia, and presented her with paper cranes. Ms. Hidalgo then appealed to them with the words, “I feel a strong connection between us now. Let’s work together to build peace.” She also visited the Peace Memorial Museum and offered flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims.
Ms. Hidalgo spoke with Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at City Hall and offered to create a partnership between junior high schools in Hiroshima and Paris to promote peace education. “I would be happy to accept your offer,” Mr. Matsui replied. Regarding a possible visit to Hiroshima by French President Francois Hollande in connection with his participation at the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit), which will take place in Japan in April, Ms. Hidalgo said, “I will ask the president to visit Hiroshima.”
The city of Paris is seeking to host the Summer Olympics in 2024. Ms. Hidalgo arrived in Japan on February 29 to observe conditions in Tokyo where the Olympics will be held in 2020. She visited Hiroshima at her own request.
(Originally published on March 3, 2016)
On March 2, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, France, a nuclear weapon state, visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. In the wake of the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris last November, Ms. Hidalgo said that she hopes to strengthen ties with the A-bombed city in the areas of education and culture to promote a more peaceful world.
At the Children’s Peace Monument, which stands in the park, the Paris mayor interacted with members of the student council from Noborimachi Junior High School in Naka Ward. The students explained their school’s efforts to remember Sadako Sasaki, the girl who became the inspiration for the monument after she died of radiation-induced leukemia, and presented her with paper cranes. Ms. Hidalgo then appealed to them with the words, “I feel a strong connection between us now. Let’s work together to build peace.” She also visited the Peace Memorial Museum and offered flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims.
Ms. Hidalgo spoke with Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at City Hall and offered to create a partnership between junior high schools in Hiroshima and Paris to promote peace education. “I would be happy to accept your offer,” Mr. Matsui replied. Regarding a possible visit to Hiroshima by French President Francois Hollande in connection with his participation at the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit), which will take place in Japan in April, Ms. Hidalgo said, “I will ask the president to visit Hiroshima.”
The city of Paris is seeking to host the Summer Olympics in 2024. Ms. Hidalgo arrived in Japan on February 29 to observe conditions in Tokyo where the Olympics will be held in 2020. She visited Hiroshima at her own request.
(Originally published on March 3, 2016)
