
Since 1947, the Mayor of Hiroshima has delivered a Peace Declaration on August 6 every year except 1950 (however the speech in 1951 was called Message from the Mayor.) The memorable features of these speeches are as follows:

1947	First Peace Declaration delivered at the first Peace Festival
1950	Fourth Peace Festival canceled (no Peace Declaration)
1951	Message from the Mayor instead of Peace Declaration
1954	Shortest text to date (320 words in Japanese)
1955	First reference to the plight of survivors
1956	First appearance of the words "Ban on atomic and hydrogen bombs"
1958	First explicit appeal for a ban on atomic and hydrogen bombs
1962	Importance of conveying A-bomb experiences to posterity
1963	Praise for the conclusion of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
1965	"The banning of atomic and hydrogen bombs" and "The complete renunciation of all war" /Regret for the Vietnam War
1968	Clear criticism of the policy of nuclear deterrence
1971	Necessity of education for peace
1972	First reference to the United Nations /First reference to problems besides war (environment, natural resources, etc.) /First use of the phrase "Heart of Hiroshima"
1973	Strong criticism of the nuclear powers
1974	Prevention of nuclear proliferation /First concrete proposal to the United Nations (UN)
1975	Detailed accounting of the reality of the A-bomb damage
1977	Report on the visit of the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the UN Headquarters
1978	Praise for the UN Special Session on Disarmament
1979	Problems of radiation exposure /First reference to problems of hunger and poverty /First reference to measures to aid A-bomb survivors
1980	Regret for the problem of refugees from the Middle East and Southeast Asia /Hopes for the enactment of the A-bomb Victims' Relief Law
1981	First mention of the "three non-nuclear principles"
1982	Report on the mayor's appeal to the UN Special Session /Proposal for city solidarity /Proposal to establish an international institute for research on peace in Hiroshima
1983	Report on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki mayors' promotion of the "Program to Promote Solidarity of Cities Towards the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons"
1985	Report on holding the World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity /Hopes for youth during the International Youth Year
1986	Mention of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident in the Soviet Union /Mention of human rights suppression issues
1987	Mention of the 10th anniversary of UN Disarmament week, and expectations for the Third Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Disarmament to be held during the coming year
1988	Report on results of the Third Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Disarmament
1989	Longest declaration to date (roughly 1600 words in Japanese) /Report on the Third World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity
1990	Praise and hopes for nuclear disarmament /Making the "three non-nuclear principles" into law /Denuclearization of the Asia-Pacific region /First mention of support for non-Japanese A-bomb survivors
1991	First use of the expression, "hibakusha" /First Peace Declaration of Mayor Takashi Hiraoka since assuming office Apology to the people in the Asia-Pacific region (and every successive year until 1995)） /Regret for the Persian Gulf War /First use of expression "Hibakusha Relief Law"
1992	Clear rejection of the argument of nuclear deterrence /Report on the UN Conference on Disarmament Issues in Hiroshima
1993	Warning against the movement for indefinite extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty /Request to the Japanese government to promptly settle post-war treatment issues
1994	Significance of the A-bomb Dome becoming a World Heritage /Opposition to the indefinite extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
1995	Assertion that the atomic bomb is clearly an inhumane weapon that violates international law /Call to establish a new nuclear-free zone in the Asian-Pacific region Assertion that war must be reexamined from the perspectives of both perpetrator and victim to enable a common understanding of history
1996	Declaration by the International Court of Justice on the illegality of the use of nuclear weapons /Hopes for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty /Statement that the lives and the deaths following the bombing of Hiroshima must touch hearts and that this culture of peace must become part of humanity's shared legacy /The necessity of archiving the extensive documentation on the bombing
1997	Unease concerning the future of the scientific and technological civilization /Protest against US subcritical nuclear testing /Request that the Japanese government work to construct a security structure that does not rely on a "nuclear umbrella"
(Ref.) Peace Literature No. 8 "History of the Peace Memorial Ceremony" (Satoru Ubuki, Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation)