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Hiroshima mayor to enhance cooperation with U.S. Conference of Mayors in pursuit of legal ban on nuclear arms

by Hiroaki Watanabe, Staff Writer

Following U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to the city, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui on June 9 announced that he will enhance cooperation with the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in pursuit of the elimination of nuclear weapons. As part of these efforts, he will dispatch Yasuyoshi Komizo, the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, to the United States later this month.

The announcement was made during the general inquiry session of the city assembly. According to the City of Hiroshima, USCM has 1,400 member cities and Mr. Komizo will participate in the group’s annual conference, to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, from June 24 to 27. He will engage in discussion with the group’s members on concrete measures to strengthen their cooperation.

In addition, Mr. Komizo will exchange views with figures in the U.S. government and peace NGOs. He will also meet representatives of the U.S. leader cities of Mayors for Peace, for which Mr. Matsui serves as president, and discuss ways to increase the organization’s membership and strengthen its activities.

Mr. Matsui stated, “I will reinforce the efforts of Mayors for Peace and more strongly urge political leaders of the world to visit the A-bombed city. I hope to increase international momentum for nuclear abolition and accelerate the movement toward a legal ban on nuclear arms.”

(Originally published on June 10, 2016)

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