"My Notes"
Hiroshima as Seen from the World
Michihiro Nobumoto
Director, Nobumoto Dental Clinic
Michihiro Nobumoto
Director, Nobumoto Dental Clinic
There are many "Hiroshima Streets" and "Hiroshima Squares" in cities around the world.
Although peace rallies, peace walks, and other events are held on August 6 and 9, most people in Hiroshima are not aware of them.
In Berlin, Germany, the street in front of the Japanese Embassy was formerly called Graf-Spee-Straße, named after a German national hero, but it was renamed Hiroshimastraße. The bridge that follows is now called Hiroshima Bridge.
In Cologne, there is a "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Park" featuring a plaque that commemorates the world's first nuclear devastation, along with an origami crane sculpture. In Dortmund, there is a "Platz von Hiroshima" (Hiroshima Square). On August 6 and 9, peace walks are held in these cities, with participants arriving by chartered buses from neighboring cities.
In Potsdam, in the front yard of the house where former U.S. President Truman stayed, there is a "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Platz", established through the efforts of Professor Hideto Sotobayashi, who was residing in Germany at the time. A monument stands there, featuring stones exposed to the atomic bombings and bearing an inscription that reads, "...with the approval of the American President, the military order to drop the atomic bomb was issued..." Some Germans believe that Germany avoided being targeted by atomic bombs because it surrendered earlier than Japan. In fact, all monuments and memorials related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in cities across Germany were unanimously approved by local parliaments and installed by German citizens themselves.
In London, the United Kingdom, a peace rally is held on August 6, and a lantern-floating event takes place on the River Thames on August 9, similar to those held in Japan.
In Aranjuez, Spain, a central street in a newly developed town was named "Avenida Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima" (Hiroshima Peace Memorial Avenue), following a proposal from a local resident who was deeply moved by Hiroshima's postwar recovery.
In the Canary Islands, the mayor and city council opposed the construction of a NATO naval base and installed a monument featuring Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution in the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Square.
In Montreal, Canada, over 300 people gather to listen to the Peace Declaration issued on August 6 in Japanese, English, and French and to ring bells in prayer for peace.
In Vienna, Austria, a monument incorporating a stone from Hiroshima that was exposed to the atomic bombing, along with an inscription about a thousand paper cranes and Sadako Sasaki was installed at the proposal of the then-Austrian ambassador to Japan.
We all share a fear of nuclear bombs, which have the power to destroy people, cities, and cultures in an instant.
I hope that young people not only in Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also throughout Japan will come to know that on August 6 and 9, people around the world take action in remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These actions reflect the empathy and solidarity with Hiroshima and Nagasaki shown by cities around the world that strongly aspire for peace. It is my sincere hope that Japanese youth will fully embrace the sentiments of people around the world and as citizens of the only country to have experienced atomic bombings, continue to take strong and determined steps toward world peace.
Although peace rallies, peace walks, and other events are held on August 6 and 9, most people in Hiroshima are not aware of them.
In Berlin, Germany, the street in front of the Japanese Embassy was formerly called Graf-Spee-Straße, named after a German national hero, but it was renamed Hiroshimastraße. The bridge that follows is now called Hiroshima Bridge.
In Cologne, there is a "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Park" featuring a plaque that commemorates the world's first nuclear devastation, along with an origami crane sculpture. In Dortmund, there is a "Platz von Hiroshima" (Hiroshima Square). On August 6 and 9, peace walks are held in these cities, with participants arriving by chartered buses from neighboring cities.
In Potsdam, in the front yard of the house where former U.S. President Truman stayed, there is a "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Platz", established through the efforts of Professor Hideto Sotobayashi, who was residing in Germany at the time. A monument stands there, featuring stones exposed to the atomic bombings and bearing an inscription that reads, "...with the approval of the American President, the military order to drop the atomic bomb was issued..." Some Germans believe that Germany avoided being targeted by atomic bombs because it surrendered earlier than Japan. In fact, all monuments and memorials related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in cities across Germany were unanimously approved by local parliaments and installed by German citizens themselves.
In London, the United Kingdom, a peace rally is held on August 6, and a lantern-floating event takes place on the River Thames on August 9, similar to those held in Japan.
In Aranjuez, Spain, a central street in a newly developed town was named "Avenida Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima" (Hiroshima Peace Memorial Avenue), following a proposal from a local resident who was deeply moved by Hiroshima's postwar recovery.
In the Canary Islands, the mayor and city council opposed the construction of a NATO naval base and installed a monument featuring Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution in the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Square.
In Montreal, Canada, over 300 people gather to listen to the Peace Declaration issued on August 6 in Japanese, English, and French and to ring bells in prayer for peace.
In Vienna, Austria, a monument incorporating a stone from Hiroshima that was exposed to the atomic bombing, along with an inscription about a thousand paper cranes and Sadako Sasaki was installed at the proposal of the then-Austrian ambassador to Japan.
We all share a fear of nuclear bombs, which have the power to destroy people, cities, and cultures in an instant.
I hope that young people not only in Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also throughout Japan will come to know that on August 6 and 9, people around the world take action in remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These actions reflect the empathy and solidarity with Hiroshima and Nagasaki shown by cities around the world that strongly aspire for peace. It is my sincere hope that Japanese youth will fully embrace the sentiments of people around the world and as citizens of the only country to have experienced atomic bombings, continue to take strong and determined steps toward world peace.