What are your hopes for the future?

Every day, in newspapers and on TV, we see a world where children are killed or injured in the violence caused by adults. In Japan, there have been a number of tragedies in which parents killed their children, children killed their parents or siblings, and children committed suicide as a result of being bullied. In fact, suicides among all ages now top 30,000 every year.

2007 marks the 62nd year since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The average age of atomic bomb survivors is now almost 74 years old. As the last generation able to listen directly to the survivors' experiences, the children of today must understand that life is precious.

Peace Seeds is a virtual peace garden nurtured by junior writers from the 5th grade of elementary school to the 2nd year of high school, supported by three reporters of the Chugoku Newspaper. Through Peace Seeds, we hope to promote a more peaceful world. (Keisuke Yoshihara / Editor-in-Chief)