Sharing the experiences of hibakusha and thoughts of peace
The 66th Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony |
On August 8th, the City of Hiroshima held the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony in Peace
Memorial Park, marking the sixty-sixth year since the dropping of the atomic
bomb. Surviving family members were joined by nearly 50,000 people in praying
for the souls of A-bomb victims and eternal peace.
The ceremony began at 8 a.m. with the mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui,
and two representatives of the victims' families placing three volumes
of the Register of the Names of Atomic Bomb Victims, containing the names
of 5,785 victims confirmed to have passed away during the past year, into
the stone coffin in the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims. The addition of
these names brings the total number of victims recorded in the register
to 275,230 people and the number of volumes of the register to 100. In
addition, one name was added to the single volume of the Nagaskai Register
of the Names of Atomic Bomb Victims (for those desiring dedication at Hiroshima),
bringing the total to nine people.
The ceremony continued with an address by Takashi Kijima, head of the
Hiroshima City Council, and flower offerings from each of the representatives.
At 8:15, ShinobuNakane, representing the victims' families, and Shota Tanaka,
the children's representative, rang the Peace Bell, which was followed
by a moment of silence.
This was followed by Mayor Matsui's first Peace Declaration, which included
an account from an A-bomb survivor. In the Declaration, the mayor stated
strongly that "the time has come for the rest of us to learn from
all the hibakusha what they experienced and their desire for peace. Then,
we must communicate what we learn to future generations and the rest of
the world". In addition, he expressed his condolences for those whose
lives were lost in the Great East Japan Earthquake, calling for a revised
domestic energy policy in light of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
After the mayor's Peace Declaration, children's representatives Masahiro
Fukuhara and Nanoka Fujita read the Commitment to Peace and promised "to
act to create a future overflowing with hope and dreams".
The entire contents of the Peace Declaration are available on
the Hiroshima City web site >>.
It can also be viewed on the Hiroshima Peace Site >>. |
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(General Affairs Division)
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