This year, the 75^th year since the atomic bombing, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation is organizing various activities based on the three main pillars of passing on the atomic bombing experience, promoting peace, and promoting international exchange and cooperation.
　The first area is activities for passing on the atomic bombing experience. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum communicates the reality of the atomic bombing using actual artifacts such as articles owned by A-bomb survivors, photos of the damage from the bombing, and pictures of the bombing drawn by citizens. This year, the museum had to be closed for around three months to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, but even during the closure, the museum implemented online communication activities including explanations of the museum displays with commentary videos by the curator, the release of videos on the website of hibakusha talking about their experience to school students on excursions, the holding of study sessions connecting with overseas participants using an online conference system, and more. On June 1, the museum was reopened, taking countermeasures to avoid infection through closed spaces and close contact. This year marks the 65^th year since the establishment of the museum, and a special exhibition is under way that looks back over the history of the museum to date.
　There is also a Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition on display in Hawaii, United States for the first time, and in this way, we will communicate the reality of the bombing and the wishes of Hiroshima in a wide range of areas.
　At the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, the GLOBAL NETWORK website has atomic bombing testimonials in Japanese and 27 other languages, to further deepen understanding of the reality of the damage from the bombing among foreigners, by having them read the testimonials in their mother tongue.
　Next is activities for the promotion of peace. Mayors for Peace, which has its secretariat in this Foundation, has implemented various activities to date with the wish of achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons while the hibakusha are still alive. In particular, as this year is the final year of the 2020 Vision, the general conference was planned to be held. However, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference has been postponed, now aiming for August of next year.
　Even under such circumstances, we want to share with as many people as possible the wish of the hibakusha for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and for this reason, this summer, the 75^th since the bombing, Mayors for Peace was organized various initiatives under the core concept of "No more Hiroshima! No more Nagasaki!". We have posted video messages from Hiroshima and Nagasaki hibakusha, executive cities of Mayors for Peace, the United Nations, national governments and NGO representatives, and held an online seminar for young people in Japan and overseas. By calling for Mayors for Peace member cities to organize initiatives under this core concept, we hope to broaden the circle of empathy so that our wish for the abolition of nuclear weapons can be shared with people throughout the world.
　We are also implementing various other activities to heighten awareness of the importance of peace among younger generations, including displaying peace messages sent in by children at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on August 6, initiatives to pass on the baton of peace to future generations, and others.
　Finally, this Foundation is also working towards the further promotion of international exchange activities and heightening citizens' international awareness. In this area, our activities include the International Festa, where foreign and Japanese citizens have fun learning about each other's cultures and are given opportunities to deepen their understanding of international exchange and cooperation and multicultural coexistence; exchange activities with Hiroshima city's sister cities and friendship cities; and the operation of the International Exchange Lounge, where we provide information and a place for Japanese and non-Japanese people to interact with each other.
　To promote the creation of a city of multicultural coexistence, we will implement initiatives such as the operation of a daily life consultation service for international residents, Japanese language classes to provide support for non-Japanese residents to improve their Japanese skills, and activities to promote understanding of Japanese customs and culture.