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NPDI Ministerial Meeting Hiroshima
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On April 11 and 12, 2014, the 8th NPDI (Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative) Ministerial Meeting was held in Hiroshima.
This was the first time that the meeting has been held in Japan.
NPDI is a voluntary cross-regional group in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation, made up of twelve non-nuclear-weapon states
(Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates).
The aim of the organization is to steadily implement the items agreed at the 2010 NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) Review Conference, and to discuss creative policies on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
The meeting in Hiroshima this time was a rare opportunity for the citizens of Hiroshima to communicate their wishes to foreign ministers from all over the world―their wishes for the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace.
Therefore various related community events were planned and included in the schedule to share the experiences of the atomic bomb survivors and their wishes for peace.
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Commemorative photo with Hiroshima City preschool students, elementary students and foreign ministers
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Nuclear Disarmament Symposium
On April 11, the first day of the meeting, a nuclear disarmament symposium was held.
The theme of the symposium was "The inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the roles of the government and civic society to abolish nuclear weapons".
With Professor Nobumasa Akiyama of Hitotsubashi University as coordinator, representatives of national governments, A-bomb survivors, NGOs, the mayor of Hiroshima City, governor of Hiroshima Prefecture and others from various positions held a discussion on the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the way forward to achieve their abolition.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui stated "Nuclear weapons are absolute evil, and the ultimate act of inhumanity. I want people to know the actual damage from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki".
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Panel discussion, Mayor Matsui speaks
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Discussion session between foreign ministers and A-bomb survivors and citizens
Following on from the disarmament symposium, the Discussion Session Between Foreign Ministers and A-Bomb Survivors and Citizens was held, attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Fumio Kishida, other foreign ministers, A-bomb survivors, NGO representatives, High School Peace Ambassador, the President of Mayors for Peace Hiroshima Mayor Matsui and Vice-President Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, and others.
Mr. Sunao Tsuboi, director of Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organization, stated
"To achieve peace, we must be rational. War is absolutely wrong".
He and others of various positions and generations participated in the discussion.
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Participants listening to Mr. Tsuboi, director of Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of
A-Bomb Sufferers Association
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Welcome reception and dinner jointly held by the Foreign Minister and NPDI Ministerial Meeting Support and Promotion Council
After the Discussion Session, a welcome reception and dinner was held.
There was a local welcome in the form of a performance of kagura, the music and dance form that is an old tradition in Hiroshima, and local participants enjoyed mingling with the guests from overseas.
Program to communicate the actual damage from the bombing
Prior to the main ministerial meeting on April 12, the foreign ministers from each country paid their respects and offered flowers at the Memorial Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims in Peace Memorial Park.
As the ministers were passing along the route to the Cenotaph, they were welcomed by local preschool children and citizens waving small flags from each country.
Elementary school students from Hiroshima City schools also handed them paper cranes and peace messages written in English.
Next, Mr. Kenji Shiga, the director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, led the ministers on a tour of the Museum.
The ministers then listened to an atomic bombing testimony by an atomic bomb survivor, Ms. Keiko Ogura.
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Participants watching the kagura performance
Children reading out peace messages
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Ms. Ogura said "I don't want children to experience the same tragedy as we did. Let's build a peaceful world together".
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Foreign ministers listening to Mr. Shiga, director of the Museum
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Foreign ministers listening to the atomic bomb testimony by Ms. Ogura
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Through the series of events over the two days, we could reaffirm that inviting political leaders from all over the world to visit Hiroshima provides a good opportunity to share wishes for peace.
The occasion also provided an opportunity to broadly communicate throughout Japan and overseas the message of abolishing nuclear weapons by 2020.
At the ministerial meeting held after these events, foreign, state ministers and other representatives from seven nations attended and discussed nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
At the end of the meeting, the Hiroshima Statement was adopted, which included a call to the world's political leaders, including those from nuclear weapons states, to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as a proposal for multilateral negotiations for the ultimate abolition of nuclear weapons.
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| (Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division) |
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