Yesterday, Hiroshima saw its 61st A-bomb Day. Far from approaching our goal of nuclear abolition, we face a crisis. This year again, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a quick getaway after attending the ceremony in Hiroshima. Still, we must not abandon our hopes.

At the Peace Memorial Ceremony, the Prime Minister said, "We will abide by the articles in our constitution that deal with peace, hold fast to the three non-nuclear principles, and continue to lead the international community toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of enduring peace." With the Japanese administration slavishly subordinating defense policy to the U.S. and the constitutional revision controversy raging, I can't imagine that anyone took his words seriously.

The prime minister reminded us that, since taking office, he has attended the Hiroshima and Nagasaki observances five times each. He wanted to impress us with his "perfect attendance," but Japan continues its steady course away from the direction the hibakusha desire. As in other years, one strained to hear the quiet voice monotonously and perfunctorily reading the speech.

For the 5th consecutive year, the prime minister declined to attend the "Meeting to Hear the Hopes of the Hibakusha." "We wanted to say our piece to him, even if it would be like water off a duck's back." Sunao Tsuboi (81), president of the Hiroshima Hidankyo (a survivors' organization) expressed his anger. "He shunts us aside to the very end." Prime Ministrer Koizumi will retire in September. Thus, he is running out of time to meet with hibakusha.

We have hope. We are encouraged by recent movements among the generations that have not experienced war or the atomic bombing.

For the last few years, film screenings, music, and other varied expressive events occurred in and around Peace Park during the evening of August 5. People of various ages and nationalities stopped to watch and listen, sometimes to join in.

Fumiyo Kouno (37) of Hiroshima City has depicted life after the atomic bombing. A high school girl student from Shimane Prefecture gave a solo performance near the park of a manga (cartoon) which is now being made into a movie. Also appearing were peace T-shirt designs and apparently incongruous gatherings in bars and nightclubs to hear A-bomb testimonials.

Many of those involved in these events told us that they never cared for peace studies. By themselves, the typical methods of learning about the A-bomb catastrophe through films and listening to testimonials may be limited in their ability to carry us to nuclear abolition and the rejection of war.

The children's representatives at yesterday's ceremony told us that the murder of Airi Kinoshita brought home to them the value of life and how much they take peace for granted. These thoughts were selected from essays written by elementary school students all over Hiroshima. Feeling the sadness of the children in that generation, they thought innocently and deeply of peace.

How do we explain history while respecting Hiroshima and concern for peace? How do we connect this to a world without nuclear weapons? In his Peace Declaration, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said we need, "a will that can penetrate stone and a passion that burns." We can only walk patiently with unflagging perseverance.