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71th Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony
－There still remain 15,000 nuclear weapons that could destroy the Earth itself－
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On August 6, 2016, the 71st since the atomic bombing, the Peace Memorial Ceremony was held by the City of Hiroshima in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park.
At the ceremony, approximately 50,000 people including hibakusha and bereaved families prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and perpetual peace.
The ceremony commenced at 8am.
First Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and two representatives of the families of the deceased dedicated three volumes of the Register of the Names of the Fallen Atomic Bomb Victims, in which are recorded the names of 5,511 people who have passed away over the past year, to the shrine in the Memorial Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims.
This brings the total number of names recorded in the Register to 303,195 people, in a total of 111 volumes.
This was followed by an address by Mr. Masanori Nagata, Chairperson of the Hiroshima City Council, and a dedication of flowers by various representatives.
At 8:15am, the time that the bomb was dropped, Mr. Sosuke Kamemoto, representing the bereaved families, and Yui Takeda, the children's representative, rang the Peace Bell, and all participants observed a minute of silence.
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Hiroshima Mayor Matsui reads out the Peace Declaration
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Mayor Matsui then read out the Peace Declaration.
He spoke of the fact that at 8:15am on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb－the 'absolute evil'－was dropped on Hiroshima, and by the end of that year 140,000 precious lives had been lost.
Even those who barely managed to survive suffered from radiation sickness, faced discrimination in employment and marriage, and bore deep physical and emotional scars that they still carry today.
He also read out graphic testimonies from hibakusha.
The mayor also said that today, 71 years later, there are still over 15,000 nuclear weapons that are far more destructive than
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the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and which could destroy the Earth itself.
It is now known that there have been many incidents and accidents that could lead to nuclear war or a nuclear explosion, and there are concerns about nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.
In the face of this reality, he said that we must listen to the calls and appeals from the hibakusha and take further action.
The mayor strongly stated that we must respect diverse values and continue to strive to create a world where we can all live together.
The mayor also made reference to the remark made by President Obama when he visited Hiroshima in May, the first visit to Hiroshima by a sitting president of the country that dropped the bomb:
"…among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear, and pursue a world without them".
The mayor said that these words were proof that President Obama's accepts the hibakusha's heartfelt plea that "no one else should ever suffer as we have", and demonstrate to the people of America and the world a passion to eliminate all remaining nuclear weapons.
They show that the spirit of Hiroshima, which refuses to accept the 'absolute evil', reached the President.
The mayor also spoke of the fact that now is the time to act in solidarity and with passion, based on the spirit of Hiroshima, to build the path toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.
In April, the G7 foreign ministers gathered together for the first time in Hiroshima and, going beyond the lines dividing nations with and without nuclear weapons, issued a declaration where they called for the world's political leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, called for early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and fulfillment of their obligation to conduct disarmament negotiations based on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The mayor stated that this was a real step toward unity.
After the Peace Declaration, the children's representatives Yuta Aoki and Tariho Nakaoku read out the Commitment to Peace.
In the Commitment, they said that today, as they get closer to the time when they will no longer be able to directly ask the hibakusha about the atomic bombing, they feel that peace is spreading when they see many people from all over the world visit Hiroshima and feel for themselves the terror of the atomic bomb, and promise to convey to others what happened on that day.
They stated:
"We have a duty to convey the hibakusha's words, which have been entrusted to us.
Each of us, in our own, deliberate words, will communicate and pass on to those who do not know war, to members of the next generation, and to people around the world, the treasure of life and the desire for peace".
This was followed by an address by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
He stated that it is the responsibility of those living now to make tireless efforts to ensure that the horrific tragedies that took place in Hiroshima and Nagasaki 71 years ago are never repeated.
He stated:
"As the only country to have experienced the horror of nuclear devastation in war, Japan will appeal for the importance of maintaining and strengthening the regime of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) while firmly upholding the 'Three Non-NuclearPrinciples'.
Japan will continue to make various efforts to bring about 'a world free of nuclear weapons' by calling for cooperation from both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states and having world leaders and young people become directly acquainted with the tragic reality of the atomic bombings."
He also expressed his intention to steadily promote relief measures, properly taking into account the current situation of the hibakusha, whose average age is now over 80 years old.
At the ceremony were representatives of bereaved families from 37 prefectures, as well as ambassadors and representatives from 91 countries, including the European Union and the nuclear weapon states of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia.
The ceremony was broadcast live on the Internet, and the video of the ceremony can be viewed on 'ThecityofHiroshima' channel in YouTube.
The full text of the Peace Declaration can be accessed via the City of Hiroshima homepage>>
('Atomic Bombing/Peace' → 'Peace Declaration, Protest Letters, etc'), and is available in ten languages (Japanese, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish).
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