Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation

May 2021

PEACE
CULTURE

vol.1 No.85 (semiannual)

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Comes into Effect
Against the backdrop of the growing global awarenessof the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the stagnationof nuclear disarmament, on July 7, 2017, the Treaty on
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was adopted by 122 countries, over 60% of United Nations member states. These countries demonstrated their unequivocal determination to abolish nuclear weapons. Just overthree years after that day, on October 24, 2020, the number of ratifying countries reached 50, which is the number required for the treaty to come into effect. Ninety
days after that, on January 22, 2021, the treaty came into
effect.

2. Future actions
Within one year of the treaty coming into effect on January 22, 2021, the first Meeting of States Parties will be
convened, to discuss the implementation and progress ofthe treaty. The Meeting is currently planned to be held in
Vienna, Austria.

3. Forthcoming challenges
In order to make this treaty highly effective, one futurechallenge is, first of all, the need to further expand thenumber of countries that ratify the treaty. It is also necessary to approach the nuclear weapon states and states
under the nuclear umbrella that oppose the treaty, encourage them to participate in the Meeting of States Parties and thus participate in the discussions concerning
the treaty’s effective implementation, and request thatthey join the treaty as soon as possible.
Mayors for Peace, which has its secretariat in the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, will work to further
expand its member city network, which currently has
more than 8,000 cities in 165 countries and regions, andwill implement initiatives to develop peace awarenessthrough implementing a ‘peace culture’ rooted in civic
society that encourages each individual citizen to think
about and act on peace in their daily lives. By doingso, Mayors for Peace will create a major momentum
for peace, to support policy shifts by policy makers, toachieve a world without nuclear weapons.

1. Outline of the TPNW

(1) Referring to hibakusha (Preamble)
The treaty refers to the suffering and harm caused tothe hibakusha as well as the efforts made towards nuclear abolition through furthering the principles of humanity undertaken by the hibakusha , among others.
(2) Prohibiting such activities as developing, testing,using or threatening to use nuclear weapons (Article 1)
The treaty prohibits under any circumstances such activities as developing, testing, manufacturing, acquiring,possessing, stockpiling, transferring, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons.
(3) Stipulating measures for nuclear-weapon states tojoin the treaty (Article 4)
The treaty stipulates that nuclear-weapon states can become its signatories based on the premise that they shallcomplete their commitment to eliminate nuclear weapons by a set deadline with verification conducted by acompetent international authority.
(4) Holding meetings to discuss the treaty (Article 8)
The treaty institutes the holding of meetings of States
Parties as well as review conferences to discuss its operation, to both of which non-states parties and NGOs,
among others, shall be invited.

Ceremony commemorating
the TPNW coming into effectTo commemorate the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into effect on January 22, on thefollowing day, January 23, Mayors for Peace and civicorganizations jointly held an online commemorative
event named ‘The End of Nuclear Weapons has begun!’,1

linking the three cities of Hiroshima, Nagasaki andTokyo.
At the Tokyo venue, there were video messages shown
from representatives of the United Nations and otherrelated organizations, who had greatly contributed inbringing the treaty to this point.
At the Hiroshima venue, the commemorative event
started with Hiroshima Mayor Matsui, President of Mayors for Peace, together with Hiroshima Governor Yuzaki
and two representatives of atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha ) associations stating “Let’s spread the message
throughout the world that we do not need nuclear weapons, and create a peaceful society of coexistence together.” Next, five young people made presentations on theirown peace activities, which they are conducting having
taking on the wishes of the hibakusha . They commented
on each other’s activities and discussed their ambitions
for the future, renewing their determination saying “Weof the younger generations must succeed the wishes of
the hibakusha and take action.” This was followed byvideo messages from representatives of peace relatedorganizations, after which there was a recital of atomic bombing poetry, backed by a guitar performance, byatomic bombing testimony recital volunteers. The event
ended with a screening of a video performance of a chorus of peace songs by elementary school children.

fresh start for these activities.
(Mayors for Peace and 2020 Vision Promotion Division/ Mayors for Peace administration Division)

Petition regarding thepromotion of initiatives forthe abolition of nuclear
weapons submitted to theJapanese government
On November 20 last year, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who is the President of Mayors for Peace,
together with the Vice President of Mayors for Peace,
Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, visited the Ministryof Foreign Affairs of Japan, and submitted to Senior
Vice-Minister Eiichiro Washio a petition addressed to
the Prime Minister on the promotion of initiatives forthe abolition of nuclear weapons.
In response, Senior Vice-Minister Washio said “Wetake the content of this petition seriously. It is Japan’s
mission to lead initiatives among the global community
to create a world without nuclear weapons, as Japan isthe only nation to have been attacked by nuclear weapons during war. Japan believes that it is important to create a common foundation for nuclear weapon states andnon-nuclear weapon states, and we are moving ahead
with initiatives to act as a bridge between nations that
hold different positions. I would like to express once
again my respect for your activities in this field, andthank you for your constant support.”

Participants at the Hiroshima venue

At the Nagasaki venue, there were interviews withyoung people and representatives of hibakusha associations, followed by a dialogue between the mayor of Nagasaki and others on methods that can be used to secure
the TPNW greater recognition in international society.
At the end of the commemorative event, all of the online participants at all the venues pledged to continue topush forward together with efforts aiming for a world
free of nuclear weapons.
Mayors for Peace will continue to aim for the development and expansion of global opinion for the abolition of nuclear weapons, through various joint initiatives
with member cities. The coming into effect of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons represents a

From left: Nagasaki Mayor Taue, Hiroshima Mayor Matsui, Senior
Vice-Minister Washio(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division /Public Collaboration for Peace Division)

2

The end of nuclear weapons has begun
W hat will change with the Treaty on the Prohibition of-
Nuclear Weapons coming into effect?
than anything, this movement was propelled forward by
the hibakusha , the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and those affected by nuclear testing around the world.

Akira Kawasaki
International SteeringGroup member of International Campaign to Abolish
Nuclear Weapons (ICAN),
Executive Committee member of Peace Boat

■ The path towards banning nuclear
weapons

Pushed by the civic movement known as the World
Court Project in the mid-1990s, the International Courtof Justice (ICJ) deliberated on the legality of the threat
and use of nuclear weapons. The mayors of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki at the time attended the court hearings at
ICJ in the Hague, the Netherlands, and testified to thehorror of the damage from nuclear weapons and the illegality of their use. As a result, in 1996, the ICJ issued anadvisory opinion that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to international humanitarian law, and that there exists an obligation to pursue
and conclude negotiations and leading to nuclear disarmament. This became the origin of the concept for a nuclear weapons convention.
In 1997, a Model Nuclear Weapons Convention, basedon the precedents of the Biological Weapons Convention(1972) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993)
was proposed and discussions made progress. However,these did not immediately lead to negotiations for a treaty.
In 2010, ICRC issued a presidential statement callingto prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons as inhumane
weapons, and this led to the kickoff of the Humanitarian
Initiative movement. Three International Conferences on
the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons were heldfrom 2013-2014, in Norway, Mexico and Austria. Statements were made by hibakusha , medical experts who
have treated hibakusha , people who have been affectedby nuclear testing and others. A common awareness was

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW) came into effect on January 22 this year. ‘Coming into effect’ means that the treaty has legal force.
Countries that ratified this treaty are known as states
parties, and such countries are legally bound by the treaty. Nuclear weapons have finally been outlawed.
In the past as well, there were various treaties formed
to regulate nuclear weapons, such as the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and theComprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). However, the TPNW is fundamentally different from thesetreaties. This is because, rather than reducing or controlling nuclear weapons, this treaty stipulates the complete prohibition and abolition of nuclear weapons. It iscompletely prohibited for any country to manufacture,possess, use, threaten to use nuclear weapons, or to assist such acts, under any circumstances.
This is based on the rejection of nuclear weapons as inhumane. This is a bold shift from the previous approach,which aimed to strike a balance in the military force ofcountries. Over the past ten or so years, countries suchas Austria and Mexico have pursued the international
movement known as the Humanitarian Initiative, supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC), International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons (ICAN), Mayors for Peace and more. More

Civic actions to commemorate the TPNW coming into effect (January 22, 2021, Hiroshima and Nagasaki).
(Hiroshima/photography: Mr. Takeo Nakaoku, Nagasaki/provided by: Nagasaki Prefectural Citizen’s Organization Promoting International
Signature Campaign in Support of the Appeal of the Hibakusha for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons)3

On January 22, 2021, participants in thetreaty provision, ninety days
formed that the use of nuclear
ICAN
campaign
all
over
the
world
held
weapons can never be comafter that, on January 22 ofevents commemorating this historic day.
patible with international huthis year, the treaty came into
manitarian law, and that today
effect.
if nuclear weapons are used,humanitarian aid would not
The power of theeven be possible.
TPNW also changBased on that understandes nuclear weapon
ing, in 2015, discussions enstates
This treaty stigmatizes nucletered into the phase of legally
ar weapons and greatly changprohibiting nuclear weapons.
Learning from the Landmine
es the way the world views
New Zealandnuclear weapons. It is true
Ban Treaty (1997) and thethat because nuclear weapon
Convention on Cluster Munistates have not joined the treations (2008), creating a treaty that first prohibits nuclear
ty, they are not legally boundby it. Even so, there is now
weapons and requires theirheightened political, economic
elimination, details of whichand social pressure on nuclear
can be stipulated in a later
weapons.
stage, was thought to be a reNuclear weapons have beenalistic approach. Providing asoutlawed, which means thatsistance to the victims of nuthey have become weapons
clear weapons was also seen
as a mandatory item.
that are not allowed to be
GreeceIn 2017, the conference neused. Any country or leadgotiating a treaty on the prohier that uses them would lose
bition of nuclear weapons wastheir political standing in theheld, presided by the Costa
global community.
Rica. Hibakusha from HiroAt the same time, banks all
shima and Nagasaki gave tesover the world are divestingtimonies, and the word hibafrom corporations that mankusha was heard a number ofufacture nuclear weapons.
When antipersonnel mines
times in the conference room.
and cluster munitions wereSince 2008, I have been traveling around the world on thebanned, the financial indusNew York
Peace Boat’s ‘Global Voyage
try divested from companies
manufacturing such weapons. As a result, such compafor a Nuclear-Free World’. We have been received bynies withdrew from their manufacture. The same thing
Mayors for Peace member cities, and have had mayors,is happening with nuclear weapons, and Japanese banks
diplomats and even government ministers listen to theand life insurance companies are also joining this trend.
hibakusha testimonies. In this way, the global communiThis is linked to moves to pay consideration to the enty has become aware of the hibakusha as the witness ofvironment and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
the inhumanity of nuclear weapons.
when making investments.
On July 7, 2017, the TPNW was adopted with the supFor antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions as well,
port of 122 countries. The fact that the preamble of thethe main countries who possessed such weapons havetreaty mentions the word hibakusha was reported in the
not joined the treaties. Nonetheless, the production ofnews, but this was not something to be surprised of. The
these weapons has fallen drastically, transactions haveword was naturally incorporated in the treaty as the realmost stopped, and their use is rejected. These treaties
sult of the efforts of the people of Hiroshima and Nagaalso changed the behavior of the countries that did notsaki as described above.
sign them.
In September of the same year, the treaty was opened
Nuclear weapon states now criticize the TPNW, saying
for signature and ratification. On October 24, 2020, theththat it is ineffective, and they put pressure on other coun50 ratification was submitted, and, in accordance with■4

tims of nuclear testing, Japan has experience of providing support to the hibakusha in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
as well as decontamination work in Fukushima. It is thiskind of contribution that is greatly required. In addition
to the Japanese government, experts and those from organizations involved in the medical treatment and supporting the rights of the hibakusha have very importantroles to play. Countries with and without nuclear weapons should also work together to develop an international mechanism to effectively verify nuclear disarmament.
The Japanese government positions itself as a ‘bridge’
between these nations, and as such there are high expectations for its contribution.

tries to not sign or ratify the treaty. If they really thought
it was ineffective, they would just ignore the treaty. The
nuclear weapon states understand that the larger thenumber of counties that join the treaty, the riskier theirown position becomes. In that light, the treaty is alreadyeffective. As the United States has the new administration with President Biden, attention needs to be paid towhether or not there is a change in the United States’ adversarial stance toward the TPNW.
If nuclear weapon states oppose the treaty, they will be
required to explain how they have fulfilled or are planning to fulfill their nuclear disarmament obligation. In
August this year, the NPT Review Conference that was
postponed from last year is scheduled to be held. At that
conference, the five nuclear weapon states will face evenmore serious accountability for disarmament than they
have before.
The TPNW and the NPT do not contradict one another:
the enactment of the TPNW will be a major force for advancing nuclear disarmament as provided by the NPT.

■ True security will only be achieved
with the abolition of nuclear weapons

The current objective of ICAN is to reach one hundred
states parties within a few years. As we continue advocating in many countries, we would like to get a country
that is currently under the so-called ‘nuclear umbrella’
to also sign and ratify the treaty.
The governments of Japan and the member countriesof the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) still
believe that nuclear deterrence is essential for their security. It is not easy to shift this way of thinking. Nonetheless, through repeated discussions, change is possible.
First, nuclear deterrence is a policy predicated on theuse of nuclear weapons. Japan is the country that knows
better than any others the horrific consequences that theuse of nuclear weapons brings―is it morally acceptable,
then, that Japan has such a policy?
The next question is, does nuclear deterrence reallywork? Reckless parties who are prepared to a suicidal
attack will not be deterred. There are risks of detonationof nuclear weapons by accidents and errors. There also
are new risks emerging, such as cyberattacks and misuseof artificial intelligence.
Additionally, if one country claims the right to havenuclear weapons for their security, their adversary will
also do the same. This leads to a nuclear arms race.
Today, the global community faces threats such as climate change and infectious diseases. Is there really any
room for us to pour resources into nuclear weapons?
If, for some reason, deterrence fails and nuclear weapons are actually used, who is going to take responsibility
for the consequences? ‘It was unexpected’ will not be an
acceptable answer.
When we look back over history, in the past there was
the slave system, and women did not have the right tovote. These are examples of abnormal situations thatare unthinkable according to today’s values, but were
thought of as normal at the time. More and more peo-■To the first Meeting of States Parties

The next focal point is the first Meeting of States Parties (MSP), which is to be held in January 2022 in Vienna, Austria. After that the MSP will be held once every
two years.
At the first MSP, there should be a discussion on measures to increase the number of states parties towards
universalization of the treaty. A total of 122 countries
have supported the adoption of the treaty, but the number of states parties is still only 54 (currently at April30). Another issue to be tackled would be preparing tohave countries with nuclear weapons join the treaty inthe future. This means developing practical measures forirreversibly dismantling nuclear weapons within a set
time frame, with effective international verification.
It is also necessary to ensure that the states parties fully
implement and adhere to the treaty. The treaty provides
that states parties must not assist or encourage the use orpossession of nuclear weapons by other countries. Thus
the definition of assisting or encouraging needs to beclarified. States parties are also obligated to provide assistance to victims of nuclear testing and remediate environments that have been polluted by radiation. States
parties are required to develop concrete action plans forthat purpose.
States not party to the treaty and NGOs can join the
MSP as observers. The Japanese government has indicated that it has no intention of signing or ratifying thetreaty, but it should at least participate in the meeting as
an observer. This is truly an area to which Japan could
contribute. For example, in terms of assisting the vic5

ple bravely spoke out against these abnormalities, which
led to the creation of new laws, which changed society.
Of course, just because a law was created does not necessarily mean that society was improved straight away.
Laws were enacted, people made efforts to align society
to the state stipulated in the laws, and as a result the badold system disappeared.
When new values emerge, people who have profitedunder the old values get angry and threaten people, saying that the new values are ‘unrealistic’. There are people who say that abolishing nuclear weapons is ‘unrealistic’, but this is a temporary phenomenon. The end of
nuclear weapons is already beginning. The true end will
come as the result of our individual awareness and action.
(Submitted February 2021 and updated April 2021)“History of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum”.
Following Part 1: “Building the Foundation—Footstepsof the First Director, Shogo Nagaoka”, it traces the history of the museum from the 1970s to today. This exhibition introduces how today’s collection of the museum
has been gathered and organized, and the exhibitions
have been developed. Tracking the path of the museum,
this exhibition also presents how people involved haveengaged with each artifact. By learning their thoughts
and feelings, we hope visitors will better understand theimportance of preserving the artifacts and thereby continuously conveying the reality of the atomic bombing
to future generations.

◆ Contents:

1. First Update of the Permanent Exhibition
2. Collecting New Materials and Expanding the Rangeof the Exhibition
3. Integration with Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall
4.Conveying the Stories of the Individuals Related to
the Artifacts

Profile[Akira Kawasaki]
Born in Tokyo in 1968.
Since 2008, has held Hiroshima/Nagasaki hibakusha testimonial sessions all over the world as part of the NGO
Peace Boat’s ‘Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World:
Peace Boat Hibakusha Project’. He lectures at Keisen
University and University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo.
Publications include Iwanami Booklet ‘Shinban Kakuheiki wo Kinshi suru ’ (New Edition: Banning Nuclear
Weapons) and Iwanami Junior Shinsho ‘Kakuheiki wa
nakuseru ’ (We can abolish nuclear weapons).

Special Exhibition Commemorating
the 75th Year of the Bombing:History of the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum Part 2:

Artifacts stored in the storage

Contact:
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Curatorial Division
Phone: +81-82-241-4004

Looking into the August 6—Continuous Efforts to Preserve
Artifacts and Convey the Reality of
the Atomic Bombing

Collection Exhibition

Date: February 27, 2021—July 18, 2021
Venue:H iroshima Peace Memorial Museum
East Building 1F, Special Exhibition
Room“Still Missing”
Date: February 27, 2021—September, 2021
Venue: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
East Building 1F, Special ExhibitionRoom

65 years have passed since the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum first opened. The museum collection consists of items donated by survivors, families and relativesof victims, and others. Since its opening, the museum has
been committed to conveying the reality of the bombing,based on artifacts such as these. At the same time, the exhibition has been continuously improving by adding new
information and introducing various methods for display.
This special exhibition represents the second part of the

The “Collection Exhibition” of the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum displays items picked out on a particular subject among roughly 20,000 artifacts in themuseum’s collection.
On August 6, 1945, a single atomic bomb turned thecity of Hiroshima to ruins in an instant. Many people
died painful deaths after being burned and exposed to6huge amounts of radiation.
This exhibition presents items related to five persons
who went missing due to the atomic bombing.

search of aid,
and by theafternoon ofAugust 6, thenovitiate had
become a field
hospital. The
superior of
the Nagatsuka
Novitiate, Father Arrupe,
had majoredin medicine
at university, and turned
his chamber
into an operating room, believing that now was the time
to put his medical knowledge to use. Together with theother priests and nuns, he worked to treat the victims
day and night without rest.
This special exhibition traces the recovery of Hiroshima through the testimonies of several priests from overseas who were living in the city.

“A piece of roof tile as a replacement of remains” Donated by Heitaro Hamada
The donor’s elder sister, Teruyo Hamada (then, 21),
was exposed to the bomb at her workplace. On the 8th,
her mother Kato (then, 51) found seven charred black
remains at Teruyo’s burned-out workplace, but she could
not identify any of them as Teruyo. She brought thesefragments of roof tiles home from that place and always
treasured them as a substitute for her daughter’s ashes.
The donor’s younger sister, Takako (then, 12) was also
exposed to the bomb at her mobilization worksite. She
died on the 7th. Kato lost both of her daughters in the
A-bombing. She didn't talk much about the atomic bomb
until she died at the age of 83.

◆ Contents(1) Documentary VideoAt the time of the atomic bombing, Hiroshima wasthe center of Christian Jesuit activities in Japan, witha Catholic church in Nobori-cho in the center of thecity and a training institute for novices in Nagatsuka of
Gion-cho, the suburb of Hiroshima. The video tells ofwhat happened and what the priests experienced in eachlocation after the atomic bombing, and also introduces
the later lives of the characters and the reconstruction ofHiroshima.
Poet Arthur Binard narrates the story as Father Cieslik.
(2) A-bomb accounts from the priests and nuns
At the information screens located in the venue, visitors can read A-bomb accounts in Japanese, English,
Chinese, and Korean.
(3) Approximately 10 items, including A-bombed
equipment used in Catholic rituals, personal accounts of the priest's experiences (handwritten), andother personal belongings of the priests.

Contact:
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Curatorial Division
Phone: +81-82-241-4004

Hiroshima National Peace Memorial
Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
Special Exhibition

Commitment—The Priests of Hiroshima and the Road to
Recovery
Date: M arch 1, 2021 - February 28, 2022
Venue: Hiroshima National Peace Memorial
Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims,
Special Exhibition Area (Upper Level)
When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on
August 6, 1945, there were four foreign Jesuit priests at
the Nobori-cho Catholic Church (1.2 kilometers fromthe hypocenter). While two suffered grave injuries, they
worked together to save the people in the church andtheir neighbors.
At the same time, in a suburb of Hiroshima City, nearly 100 survivors of the bombing came to the Nagatsuka
Jesuit Novitiate (4.5 kilometers from the hypocenter) inContact:
Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
Phone: +81-82-543-6271

7

their interest in Hiroshima.
(Peace Memorial Museum Outreach Division)

Hiroshima training
for UN tour guides
conducted online

International Festa 2020

The City of Hiroshima, in cooperation with the City ofNagasaki, has set up permanent A-bomb exhibitions at
UN facilities in New York, Geneva and Vienna. For thisreason, the “Hiroshima Training Program for UN Tour
Guides” was launched in 2017, inviting tour guides fromeach facility to Hiroshima to learn about the reality of
the atomic bombings.
This year’s training was the fourth time the training
has been held. On-site training was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and part of the training program
was conducted online.
First, an online tour of the museum, the first of its kindfor Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, was conducted
after the museum closed on December 7 last year. With
the help of ten volunteers from the Hiroshima Peace
Volunteers who provided English-language guidance,
the tour covered from the introductory exhibits in the
East Building to some of the exhibits in the Main Building, with real-time commentary. On the following day,December 8, Professor Robert Jacobs of the Hiroshima
Peace Institute at Hiroshima City University gave a lecture on the theme of “How Hiroshima is perceived in the
United States”. On the 11th, Ms. Yoshiko Kajimoto and
Ms. Keiko Ogura gave us a lecture on their A-bomb experiences.

~Also available online this time~
International Festa 2020 was held over two days on November 14 and 15 last year. It was the 21st time that theFesta has been held.
This time, in order to prevent the spread of the COVID19, the scale of the event was drastically reduced. Five
online-only events were held on the 14th and two eventswere held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima on the 15th.
Additionally, from November 1 to 31, the International
Exchange and Cooperation Division of this Foundation
posted a video on its website introducing the activities
of seven organizations, including citizens’ groups, thatare engaged in international exchange and cooperation
activities in Hiroshima city and its suburbs.
Unfortunately, the event did not turn out to be a lively “festival” event with many groups participating as inprevious years, but we were able to hold this event withmeaningful content on the theme of international exchange and cooperation, while taking the utmost care
to prevent infection in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
◆Events conducted online (November 14)
This time, for the first time for this Festa, five organizations, including public and civic groups, participated in
the project online using the web conference tool Zoom.
Each of the participating organizations had their own
ideas to keep the participants interested, such as using
still and moving images to present materials in aneasy-to-understand manner, and putting on skits to keep
the audience engaged.
◆Events at International Conference Center
Hiroshima (November 15)
In the lecture “Connecting with the World Now: What
Dr. Tetsu Nakamura Left Behind”, Mr. Masaru Murakami, Chairman of the international NGO Peshawar-kai
and General Director of MPS (Peace Japan Medical Services), spoke about the activities and thoughts on building peace of Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, the local representative of Peshawar-kai, who passed away in December
2019 after working for many years on medical, irrigation and agricultural support activities in Afghanistan, awar-torn country in the Middle East.
At the “Introduction of Hiroshima Sister and Friendship Cities by Hiroshima Messengers” event, 12

Ms. Kajimoto (right) shares her A-bomb experience with UN staff
online.

Although the training was conducted for locations withlarge time differences, a total of 134 UN staff, mainly tour guides at each UN facility, attended the training
live. In a questionnaire survey conducted after the training, participants said, “I have developed a desire to learn
more about Hiroshima,” and “I would like to visit Hiroshima and see the museum after the pandemic is over.”
Although it was unfortunate that the field training in
Hiroshima could not be conducted due to the pandemic,
it provided an opportunity for many UN staff to deepen8Hiroshima 2020 Messengers, two from each of the six
cities, gave presentations on their sister and friendship
cities. here were also quizzes on the theme of each cityand mini language experiences. Not only the participants
but also the Hiroshima messengers themselves enjoyed
the event.
Participants commented, “I was able to learn about thecharms of each city in an easy-to-understand way andmade new discoveries. It was an invaluable experience.”(International Relations & Cooperation Division)
Lecture “Connecting with the World Now: What Dr. Tetsu Nakamura
Left Behind”

Promoting exchange with Hiroshima
City’s Sister and Friendship Cities

Hiroshima Messengers
2021 Appointed
In order to promote friendship and exchange and develop feelings of affinity for the cities among Hiroshima citizens, Hiroshima City has designated “Sister andFriendship City Days” for each of its six overseas sisterand friendship cities, and two citizens have been appointed as “Hiroshima Messengers” for each city―for a
total of twelve Hiroshima Messengers.

Presentations on Hiroshima Sister and Friendship Cities by
Hiroshima Messengers

New Official Catalogue Issued
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has issued its official catalogue, titled ‘Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Collection Catalogue-Carrying the Legacy of Hiroshima-’.
It is 21 years since the last official catalogue was issued, in 1999. The subtitle, ‘Carrying the Legacy of Hiroshima’, incorporates the wish to communicate the reality of the damage from the atomic bomb across generations andnational boundaries, and to link it to the creation of a peaceful world without nuclear weapons or war. The catalogue
was completed after a year-long editing period with the support of many people.

■ Feature (1): Incorporation of permanent exhibits after renewal

The catalogue includes artifacts, pictures and photographs currently on display
in the permanent exhibition rooms together with extensive commentary.

■ Feature (2): Various columns

In addition to the main text, there are sixteen columns in the catalogue. Readers
can gain a wide range of knowledge in line with their particular areas of interest.

■ Feature (3): Easy to follow in chronological order

The main text is organized in chronological order so ensure that the flow ofhistory is easy to understand. In the chronological table and list of references atthe end of the catalogue, readers can learn about incidents related to the atomic
bombing and basic literature on the incidents together.

■ Feature (4): Japanese and English versions available

Japanese and English are provided in separate versions of the catalogue, whichmeans that there is more space in the layout and the catalogue is easier to readthan the previous version.

【Cover】Student uniform removed withscissors (Donated by: Yuko Horio /Photo: Tsuneo Enari)

Catalogue price is ¥1,500 (tax included). A4 size, 134 pages, color. The catalogue is on sale in the Museum Shop.
9During the term of their appointment, the Messengers
will be involved in activities to deepen citizens’ understanding of sister and friendship cities, such as participating in the planning of events to commemorate “Sister and Friendship City Days”, making presentations toconvey the appeal of the cities during events, and participating in events related to international exchange andcooperation.

August 6: Under the mushroom cloudOn that day, the sky was clear and it was a fine morning. At my home in Koi-hon-machi, 2.5km from the hypocenter, were my great-grandmother on my father’sside, my grandmother, my parents, my older sister, me,and my two younger brothers―a total of eight people.
After breakfast, it was just when I had gone to the backgarden to go to the house next door. Suddenly, the window flashed with a pale light. I immediately dropped to
the ground, and lost consciousness.
I was awoken by my mother’s voice yelling “Everyone
gather here!” I was surrounded by dust so thick that I
could not see anything around me. Inside the house, everything had collapsed, and there were countless piecesof glass of broken corridor windows stuck into the faller
fusuma screens. I had been thrown from the back garden
to the front of the house, a distance of about five or six
meters. “Let’s all die together! Everyone is together,”my mother desperately cried as she covered the family
members who had gathered with a large comforter. She
thought that if a second or third bomb was dropped, wewould not survive. I remember the warmth of family atthat time, as we sat shoulder to shoulder under the comforter: the family connection that I felt at that time as achild is something that I remember even today.
Outside, houses were half collapsed, and it was eerily
quiet. We fled to the foot of a nearby mountain, but thenlarge drops of rain began to fall, and we all got soaking
wet. There was no way that we could have known that
this was ‘black rain’. Eventually, we returned to the riverside in Koi. On the way, I was frozen by the sight ofthe people fleeing from the city. Their hair was standing on end, they were suffering from serious full-bodyburns, they were covered in dirt, and the skin from theirarms had peeled away and was hanging from their limp
fingertips like rags. Dozens, hundreds of people dragged
their burnt bodies along; they were like a procession of
ghosts. The city continued to burn throughout the night.

2021 Hiroshima Messengers(January 1 – December 31, 2021)
Honolulu Ms. Yasuko Asabe

Ms. Keiko Sueyoshi

Volgograd Mr. Mitsumasa Gongen Ms. Masumi Hashimura
Hannover Ms. Natalia Garjaschin Ms. Rie Yamashita
Chongqing Ms. Rieko Fujisawa
Daegu

Ms. Yoko Shiroishi

Ms. Mieko Kanbe

Ms. Ayaka KuwabaraMontreal Ms. Hitomi Abiru

Mr. Tatsuro Morimoto

Memoir of the A-bombing

An 8-year-old’s memory ofHiroshimaby T eruko Yahata, tomic Bomb Witness
Afor this Foundation
Final stages of Pacific War
I was 8 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped.
I had started at Hiroshima Municipal Koi National
School the previous year. When I passed through theschool gate the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom,
and the petals flew around, turning the school ground apale pink color. Around that time, when we turned on
the radio, we would hear a strong voice saying “Announcement from Imperial General Headquarters! We
have sunk the enemy’s aircraft carrier. Japan did not sustain major damage.”
However, the war situation gradually worsened. Afterthe morning assembly in the school yard, the senior students marched, singing “With our swords we will give
our lives to kill one hundred, one thousand.” They were
determined to fight on Japanese soil, believing thatJapan would definitely win the war.

August 9: Schoolyard turned into a cremation
site
Although some of my family members were injured,
we all survived. I had a wound on my forehead, so myfather took me to the aid station at the school. When we
went through the school gate, we heard a murmur ofvoices that was neither crying nor groaning.
The classrooms and the hallways were filled with seriously injured people lying there. The faces were blistered, and everyone had their eyes closed. People who
had died were carried on stretchers to the sports ground,
where they were thrown into many holes that had been
dug there, and cremated. In the heat of mid-summer, the10Started activities as an atomic bomb witness for the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation in 2019.

rising flames from the cremations produced heat hazearound the fires, and the people silently working there
appeared to waver in the haze. The school was filledwith the strange odor from the billowing smoke.
On a table placed near the school gate were white
paper bags around the size of postcards, lined up on thetable. “They’re handing out snacks!”, I thought. I was
starving and I lined up, but when I got a closer look I
was disappointed. The bags contained bones. Relatives
who had come to look for their loved ones who had died
were taking home their bones, so that at least they could
commemorate them in death. Records show that around
two thousand people were cremated at this school, andit seems that many of them were junior high school students who were involved in building demolition workwhen the bomb was dropped, as well as 1st and 2nd year
female student. I cannot imagine how painful it was forthem. How much they wanted to survive. They lost everything in an instant.

Memoir of the A-bombing

Surviving Hiroshima

by Chieko Kiriake, tomic Bomb Witness
Afor this Foundation
I was born in 1929. It was the year that the global Great
Depression started. Share prices on the New York Stock
Exchange dropped dramatically, and Japan was also impacted, falling into a serious recession. The streets werefilled with unemployed people, and I also heard that
there was a sharp increase in the number of suicides. I
was a baby at the time, so I had no way of knowing suchthings, but I am a person who has lived through the atmosphere of such an era. The way that was used to get
Japan out of that recession as quickly as possible waswar.
When I was two years old the Manchurian Incident
occurred; when I was in 2nd grade at elementary school
the Sino-Japanese War broke out; and when I was in 6th
grade in elementary school the Pacific War started. In
this way, there was a long period of fifteen years of war.
With the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, and Japan’s defeat, that war ended. I was
15 years old at the time. I had grown up during fifteen
years of war.
Up until it was destroyed by the atomic bomb, Hiroshima was a military city. There was a huge military division near Hiroshima Castle, and Ujina Port was used
as a departure port for military troops to attack the Chinese mainland and countries in Southeast Asia. Elementary school students like myself were taken to the port
by our teachers, where we held small Japanese national flags and cheered for the soldiers who were leaving,
shouting “Bansai! Bansai! ” I grew up and entered anold-education system girl’s high school, but rather thanactually going to school, every day we were sent to workin factories as mobilized students. At the time in 1945,
there were three large military factories in Hiroshima: amunitions depot, a military clothing factory, and a foodsupplies warehouse. I was just like a temporary staff“A-bomb Drawings by Survivors” by Yokichi Tsuzawa(Firefighters and vigilantes cremating in the national school playground.)Precious life
In 2013, I participated in the Peace Boat Hibakusha
Global Voyage. We are all born on this large planet
Earth, and even if our countries and languages are different we are all living in the same era. In the one hundredyears of a person’s life, we experience daily life thatis irreplaceable, like the sun rising and setting and thewaves coming in and going back out. Who is important
to you? What do you want to protect? If a nuclear bombwas used now, humankind would be wiped out. What I
can do is to continue to communicate the reality of theatomic bombing, send out warning bells to the global
community, and live in the present.
Profile[Teruko Yahata]
In 2013, consigned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
as Ambassador for Denuclearization. Participated in thePeace Boat Hibakusha Global Voyage.
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member, and went to work in all of the factories. When
America was building the atomic bomb, I was wiping
rust off old guns in the munitions factory, washing andrepairing military uniforms in the military clothing factory.
And then on the day of August 6, I was mobilized tothe tobacco factory in Minami-machi, and was working
covered in the powder of the tobacco for the military.
Because we were working inside the factory, only oneof us died, trapped under machinery, but the rest of myclassmates and I survived, although we had light injuries
in our head and neck from the shards of glass that shattered with the bomb’s blast.
But the situation was terrible for the students younger than us. They had been mobilized to clean up after
building demolition in the area behind Hiroshima City
Hall (around 1.2km from the hypocenter, in what is now
known as Kokutaiji). Those students suffered full-bodyburns, and were so burnt that they may as well have been
naked. Their skin formed blisters and peeled and hungfrom their fingertips and dragged from their feet, and thesight of them was nothing but tragic. Some of them cameback to the school, but there were no doctors and no
medicine. The only way they could be treated was using
old tempura cooking oil that was left in the home economics classroom. Having fled from the tobacco factory
back to the school, we treated their wounds, but they justdied one after the other, squirming in pain. I crematedone of those students myself, in a corner of the school
ground. Crying, I picked up her small bones, which werea pale pink color like the petals of cherry blossoms. I
hope never to have the same experience again.

Profile[Chieko Kiriake]
Born in 1929. Experienced the atomic bombing as a
15-year-old student in the 1st year of high school, 1.9km
from the hypocenter. Started activities as an atomic
bomb witness in 2019.

(Report)Donations for recovery
from torrential rainsin Hiroshima Prefecturein July 2018
The torrential rains that occurred from July 5, 2018
caused landslides, flooding, the collapse of dams
and other damage in Hiroshima Prefecture, affecting
many people. There were 109 people who lost theirlives and 5 people missing, with 127 people whosustained injuries.
In order to provide some relief to those affectedby this disaster, this Foundation is working together
with Hiroshima Prefectural Government, the Hiroshima Branch of the Japanese Red Cross Society,and other organizations, and from July 24, 2018 toJune 30, 2021, has set up donation boxes at Peace
Memorial Museum, International Conference Center and Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb
Victims, which are all run by this Foundation, and isaccepting donations.
As a result of this effort, many visitors to thesefacilities have provided support. As of February 19,
2021, total donations amounted to 166,036 yen.
The donations collected have been deposited in thebank account of the Hiroshima Branch of the Japanese Red Cross Society.
(General Affairs Division)
information
Our Newsletters (Japanese version and English version)
are accessible on the Internet.
[URL] http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/hpcf/paper/〔Request〕Please inform us if you change your mailingaddress.

“My daughter fled, covered in burns.” (1,750m from the hypocenter
Near Minami-ohashi Bridge, August 6, 1945)(“A-bomb Drawings by Survivors” by Ms. Misako Murakami)

HIROSHIMA PEACE CULTURE FOUNDATION

I am an old woman now, having turned 91 this year
(2020). Even now, I cannot forget those students whodied at such a young age. Every day I pray for the repose of their souls, and think my hardest about whatshould be done now to protect eternal peace.

1-2 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
730-0811, JAPAN
Phone: +81-82-241-5246
E-mail: p-soumu@pcf.city.hiroshima.jp〔URL〕http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/hpcf/
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