City of Hiroshima announces outline of Peace Declaration for August 6 A-bomb ceremony
Aug. 2, 2019
by Keiichi Nagayama, Staff Writer
At a news conference held on August 1, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui announced the outline of the Peace Declaration that he will read out during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to be held on the 74th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Mr. Matsui said that he will refer to the wish of the atomic bomb survivors and call on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted at the United Nations in 2017. In the opening part of the declaration, Mr. Matsui will express his concern over the current global state of rising tensions and the fact that progress toward nuclear abolition is at an impasse. He will call for establishing a system of international cooperation.
The declaration will first mention current international conditions. With the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia expected to expire on August 2, he will express his concern that the movement seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons has come to a standstill. The INF Treaty contributed to the end of the Cold War and set a course for nuclear disarmament.
With the world facing more conflicts between nations, Mr. Matsui will stress the importance of “tolerance,” which was advocated by Mahatma Gandhi, who made a key contribution to India’s independence. Mr. Matsui will urge world leaders to establish a system of international cooperation through dialogue like the leaders of the United States and Russia did in their efforts to sign the INF Treaty in the 1980s, when the nuclear arms race was intensifying.
He will also call on the Japanese government to take seriously the “A-bomb survivors wish that Japan will sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” and urge the Japanese government to exercise strong leadership in the quest to realize a world without nuclear weapons.
In early July, Mr. Matsui received a request concerning the content of the Peace Declaration from six organizations of A-bomb survivors, including the two groups that are both known as the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations. They demanded that Mr. Matsui clearly urge the governments and political leaders of the world, including Japan, to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
To make a strong impression with the words of a survivor, Mr. Matsui will quote tanka, a poem of thirty-one syllables, for the first time. He chose a poem written by Kimie Murayama, 79, a resident of Bunkyo Word, Tokyo. The poem describes the horrific conditions in the city in the aftermath of the atomic bombing.
“I will urge people around the world, especially policymakers, to change their way of thinking in order to remove mutual distrust or a suspicious and fearful frame of mind,” the mayor said.
(Originally published on August 2, 2019)
1. Important points of outline of Peace Declaration
2. In the opening part of the declaration, Mr. Matsui will ask the audience as to how we perceive the current international conditions in which relations between countries have grown more tense and progress toward nuclear abolition is at an impasse. He will call for establishing a system of international cooperation to pursue a world without war.
3. The declaration will convey the reality of the atomic bombing using the words of a survivor. For the first time, Mr. Matsui will quote a tanka poem written by a survivor who was 5 years old at the time of the atomic bombing.
4. The declaration will refer to Mahatma Gandhi, who made a key contribution to India’s independence. To realize a peaceful and sustainable world, Mr. Matsui will emphasize the importance of “tolerance” which Gandhi advocated.
5. The declaration will call on the Japanese government to take seriously the wish of the A-bomb survivors for Japan to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Mr. Matsui will also urge the government to exercise stronger leadership to realize a world without nuclear weapons.
At a news conference held on August 1, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui announced the outline of the Peace Declaration that he will read out during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to be held on the 74th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Mr. Matsui said that he will refer to the wish of the atomic bomb survivors and call on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted at the United Nations in 2017. In the opening part of the declaration, Mr. Matsui will express his concern over the current global state of rising tensions and the fact that progress toward nuclear abolition is at an impasse. He will call for establishing a system of international cooperation.
The declaration will first mention current international conditions. With the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia expected to expire on August 2, he will express his concern that the movement seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons has come to a standstill. The INF Treaty contributed to the end of the Cold War and set a course for nuclear disarmament.
With the world facing more conflicts between nations, Mr. Matsui will stress the importance of “tolerance,” which was advocated by Mahatma Gandhi, who made a key contribution to India’s independence. Mr. Matsui will urge world leaders to establish a system of international cooperation through dialogue like the leaders of the United States and Russia did in their efforts to sign the INF Treaty in the 1980s, when the nuclear arms race was intensifying.
He will also call on the Japanese government to take seriously the “A-bomb survivors wish that Japan will sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” and urge the Japanese government to exercise strong leadership in the quest to realize a world without nuclear weapons.
In early July, Mr. Matsui received a request concerning the content of the Peace Declaration from six organizations of A-bomb survivors, including the two groups that are both known as the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations. They demanded that Mr. Matsui clearly urge the governments and political leaders of the world, including Japan, to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
To make a strong impression with the words of a survivor, Mr. Matsui will quote tanka, a poem of thirty-one syllables, for the first time. He chose a poem written by Kimie Murayama, 79, a resident of Bunkyo Word, Tokyo. The poem describes the horrific conditions in the city in the aftermath of the atomic bombing.
“I will urge people around the world, especially policymakers, to change their way of thinking in order to remove mutual distrust or a suspicious and fearful frame of mind,” the mayor said.
(Originally published on August 2, 2019)
1. Important points of outline of Peace Declaration
2. In the opening part of the declaration, Mr. Matsui will ask the audience as to how we perceive the current international conditions in which relations between countries have grown more tense and progress toward nuclear abolition is at an impasse. He will call for establishing a system of international cooperation to pursue a world without war.
3. The declaration will convey the reality of the atomic bombing using the words of a survivor. For the first time, Mr. Matsui will quote a tanka poem written by a survivor who was 5 years old at the time of the atomic bombing.
4. The declaration will refer to Mahatma Gandhi, who made a key contribution to India’s independence. To realize a peaceful and sustainable world, Mr. Matsui will emphasize the importance of “tolerance” which Gandhi advocated.
5. The declaration will call on the Japanese government to take seriously the wish of the A-bomb survivors for Japan to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Mr. Matsui will also urge the government to exercise stronger leadership to realize a world without nuclear weapons.
