“Momentum is growing” for visit to Hiroshima by Obama
Apr. 22, 2016
by Masanori Wada and Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writers
The U.S. government is reportedly considering a visit to Hiroshima by President Barack Obama in connection with his participation at the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit) to be held on May 26 and 27. At a press conference held on April 21, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said with hope, “The momentum is growing.”
With leading U.S. newspapers, one after another, urging President Obama to visit Hiroshima, Mr. Matsui said, “I’m pleased to know that there are Americans who believe that visiting Hiroshima can help advance the aim of creating a world without nuclear weapons.”
Asked his opinion about whether the United States should apologize for the atomic bombings, the mayor said, “I understand the sentiment of faulting the U.S. for the bombings and I don’t intend to ignore this sentiment. At the same time, I would like to convey to the world how Hiroshima has overcome this tragedy.” In this instance, Mr. Matsui was more straightforward about his feelings than he has been in the past.
On April 21, the Hiroshima City Council sent an appeal to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, urging Mr. Obama to visit Hiroshima. The appeal, sent under the name of Masanori Nagata, the chairperson of the council, states: “If the president would convey his unshakable determination for the abolition of nuclear weapons from the A-bombed city of Hiroshima to the world, it would surely advance international momentum for this goal.”
Meanwhile, the City of Hiroshima disclosed that it had asked a private organizer who had planned to hold an event on May 28 and 29 at the site of the former Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, located in Naka Ward, to stage this event earlier based on the president’s possible visit. The site of the old stadium is close to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The city made this move in line with a recent case where the site was used as a parking lot for the media when the meeting of foreign ministers was held in early April. The city said that the organizer has decided to cancel the event.
(Originally published on April 22, 2016)
The U.S. government is reportedly considering a visit to Hiroshima by President Barack Obama in connection with his participation at the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit) to be held on May 26 and 27. At a press conference held on April 21, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said with hope, “The momentum is growing.”
With leading U.S. newspapers, one after another, urging President Obama to visit Hiroshima, Mr. Matsui said, “I’m pleased to know that there are Americans who believe that visiting Hiroshima can help advance the aim of creating a world without nuclear weapons.”
Asked his opinion about whether the United States should apologize for the atomic bombings, the mayor said, “I understand the sentiment of faulting the U.S. for the bombings and I don’t intend to ignore this sentiment. At the same time, I would like to convey to the world how Hiroshima has overcome this tragedy.” In this instance, Mr. Matsui was more straightforward about his feelings than he has been in the past.
On April 21, the Hiroshima City Council sent an appeal to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, urging Mr. Obama to visit Hiroshima. The appeal, sent under the name of Masanori Nagata, the chairperson of the council, states: “If the president would convey his unshakable determination for the abolition of nuclear weapons from the A-bombed city of Hiroshima to the world, it would surely advance international momentum for this goal.”
Meanwhile, the City of Hiroshima disclosed that it had asked a private organizer who had planned to hold an event on May 28 and 29 at the site of the former Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, located in Naka Ward, to stage this event earlier based on the president’s possible visit. The site of the old stadium is close to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The city made this move in line with a recent case where the site was used as a parking lot for the media when the meeting of foreign ministers was held in early April. The city said that the organizer has decided to cancel the event.
(Originally published on April 22, 2016)
