HIROSHIMA PEACE CULTURE FOUNDATIONPEACE CULTURE
Vol. 1 No.75

May 2016 (semiannual)Open Letter to call on all UN Member Statesto actively participate in the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG)
The establishment of a public working group to discuss
legal measures for the abolition of nuclear weapons was
decided in a resolution at the United Nations General
Assembly last year, and Mayors for Peace (President:
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui) sent an open letter
jointly from the 26 Mayors for Peace executive cities toall UN member nations prior to the organizational meeting for the working group held in Geneva, Switzerland,on January 18, 2016. The open letter called for proactive
participation and constructive discussion on the abolition of nuclear weapons at the working group.

At the same time, the open letter was also sent to theUnited Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, requesting support for Mayors for Peace activities, andbroad-based communication of the letter’s message to
all national governments and peoples.
【Open letter】
The letter can be viewed on the Mayors for Peace home
page. (URL: http://www.mayorsforpeace.org/english/activities/statement/request/160122_OEWG_en.pdf)(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division)Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Group of Eminent Persons Meeting−the 25th United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues in HiroshimaComprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Group of
Eminent Persons Meeting
On August 24-25, 2015, the 70th year since the atomic bombing, the Group of Eminent Persons (GEM)
Meeting was held for the first time in Japan, in
Hiroshima City. GEM is comprised of internationallyrecognized specialists and eminent people who have experience in political positions, such as former U.S.
Secretary of Defense Mr. William Perry and former UK
Secretary of State for Defense Mr. Des Browne. The aimof the meeting is to promote the issuance of theComprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
In the opening session, Hiroshima Mayor Matsuistated “In the upcoming meeting, I expect that you willhold active and forward-thinking discussions on advancing the CTBT ratification and send out a strong message
for creating a world without nuclear weapons from
Hiroshima.”
In response to a proposal by the City of Hiroshima,
the meeting program also included a tour of theHiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and an opportunity
to listen to an atomic bomb testimony, to share among

GEM member listening to an atomic bomb testimony by Ms. Ogura

all meeting participants the hibakusha’s experiences andwishes for peace, and to communicate the reality of theatomic bombing. After the end of these items of the program, one participant commented “We must all make efforts to ensure that nuclear weapons are never usedagain,” indicating a renewed determination to address
the abolition of nuclear weapons.
At the end of the meeting, the Hiroshima Statement
was adopted, urging the eight nations that have not rati1

fied the CTBT, including the United States and China, toratify it immediately.

on the pursuit of the abolition of nuclear weapons,” andthere was active discussion on how to create a world freeof nuclear weapons.

25 th United Nations Conference on Disarma­m ent
IssuesFollowing on from the GEM Meeting, the 25 th
United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues in
Hiroshima was held from August 26 to 28. A total of 83
people from 23 countries and 5 international bodies attended the meeting.
The aim of this meeting is to heighten awareness of
disarmament issues in the Asia-Pacific region and holddialogue on disarmament and security. It has been held
since 1989, and this was the fourth time it has been heldin Hiroshima, and the first time in 19 years.
In response to a proposal by the City of Hiroshima,
the conference program this time included items to convey the reality of the atomic bombing, the Opening
High-Level Session with GEM members participating,and the International Student Meeting on Peace where
young people from Japan and overseas make presentations about peace.

■Program Item to Communicate the Reality of
the Atomic Bombing
On the afternoon of August 26, conference participants visited Peace Memorial Park. After paying theirrespects and presenting flowers at the Cenotaph, participants were given a tour of Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Museum led by Museum Director Mr. Kenji Shiga, andthis was followed by an atomic bomb testimony by Ms.
Yoshiko Kajimoto.
Ms. Kajimoto stated “Nuclear weapons cannot coexist with humankind. Please cease all war and abolish nuclear weapons.”■Opening High-Level Session
On the morning of the first day of the conference,
August 26, Professor Nobumasa Akiyama of Hitotsubashi
University presided over the Opening High-Level Session
entitled “Renewed Determination and Concrete Action
towards the Realization of a World Free of Nuclear
Weapons”. Former policymakers, hibakusha, theHiroshima Mayor, the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture
and others attended the session. Mr. Sunao Tsuboi,
Chairperson of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederationof A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, stated “The pain
caused by radiation from the atomic bomb will continue
until my death, but until my last breath I will not give up

Conference participants presenting flowers at the Cenotaph■International Student Meeting on Peace
On August 28, the International Student Meeting on
Peace was held in Hiroshima, the city that was atomicbombed, and students representing the next generation
gathered to make presentations on and discuss the abolition of nuclear weapons and peace issues. The aim wasto have the students heighten their international awareness and to provide an opportunity for growth into people who can be active in the international community.
There were some strong presentations from the stu-

Opening High-Level Session, the 25th United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues in Hiroshima

International Student
Meeting on Peace

Hiroshima Mayor
Mr. Matsui making aremarkStudents making presentations2

dents during the conference, including one who said
“Even small steps by us are important steps. I want tocontinue our activities so that we can make the world abetter place.”at the Japanese Embassy in the United States. Mr. Sadao
Yamamoto, who experienced the bombing in Hiroshima,
effectively used slides of maps and pictures as he gave
his A-bomb testimony, and Mr. Yoshitoshi Fukahori,
who experienced the bombing in Nagasaki, provided an
explanation of the photographs used in the display panels. Visitors listened intently to their explanations, andafterwards there were some who spoke to the hibakusha,
saying “We really grateful that you have come all theway to America to give your testimony and speak to us.”On June 14, Mr. Shiga led the group from the UnitedStates National Park Service, including the Director, ona tour of the Atomic Bomb Exhibition, and the groupviewed the panels and A-bomb artifacts with great interest. After the tour, the Director said “This is a powerfulexhibition, with content that is truly painful to see.”
After the end of the Atomic Bomb Exhibition at
American University Museum, it was also held at
Boston University Art Gallery, communicating to visitors what happens when nuclear weapons are used.
(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Outreach Division)

Through this series of events over five days, we reaffirmed that visiting Hiroshima, the city that experienced
the atomic bombing, provides a good opportunity toshare thoughts about peace. We were also able to communicate broadly to people in Japan and overseas themessage that we aim to achieve the abolition of nuclear
weapons by 2020.
(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division)

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb
Exhibition in the United States
In 2015, the 70 th year since the atomic bombing,
Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibitions were
held in the United States, the nuclear superpower. The
exhibitions were held from June 13 to August 16 in thecapital Washington DC, and from September 11 to
October 18 in Boston City, Massachusetts State.
In the American University Museum, part of the
Katzen Art Center at American University in Washington
DC, were panels to explain the reality of the damage
from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,and 25 A-bomb artifacts including the uniform andburned water bottle of junior high school students wholost their lives in the bombing while working as mobilized students. At the neighboring venue were displays of
6 “Hiroshima Panels” by the couple Toshi and Iri
Maruki, as well as pictures drawn in 1947, soon after thewar, by children at Honkawa Elementary School using
equipment donated by a church in Washington DC.
Visitors viewed all displays with great interest.
The opening ceremony was on June 13. American
University Professor Peter Kuznick, who worked hard to
hold the exhibition this time, first explained the background leading to the exhibition being held. Mr. Kenji
Shiga, Director of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum,
expressed his
gratitude forthe holding of
the exhibition,and this wasfollowed by aspeech by Mr.
Masato Otaka,
Minister for
A-bomb testimony in the American University
Public Affairs

70 years since the Atomic Bombing“2015 NPT Review Conference−Civic
Initiatives and Future Prospects”(Article contributed October 2015)

by Koki Takada

Executive Director,
Hiroshima Prefecture Consumersʼ
Co-operative Union

Following on from the 2010 Review Conference of theParties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT), I participated in the 2015 NPT Review

Peace March

3

Conference as the Deputy Delegation Head of the
91-member Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union(JCCU) delegation, together with the 49-members of theJapan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers
Organizations.
Our delegation provided support to the hibakusha intheir on-site activities there, and at the same time wewere also involved in initiatives to spread the reality ofthe damage of the atomic bombing, as well as making
requests to major national governments. We submitted apetition calling for the start of discussions on a nuclear
weapons convention to the United Nations, for which
we had gathered signatures from people all over Japan.
After returning
to Japan I summarized what we
had observed andfelt at the conference in a report,
aiming to be ofsome use in theformation of apublic consensus A-bomb testimony at the “Nuclear-Free
World: Cries from Hiroshima and Nagasaki”
at the grass roots exhibition in the UN
level.
On April 26, 2015, after participating in the NGO
joint action and demonstration at Dag Hammarskjöld
square in front of United Nations headquarters, the signatures that had been collected by Mayors for Peace and
the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs
were handed over to Ms. Taous Feroukhi, President of
the 2015 NPT Review Conference. We in the JCCU support the initiatives of Mayors for Peace, advocated by
the City of Hiroshima, and have been involved in shaping opinion at the civic level. When the signatures (ofthe 1,097,059 signatures, around 890,000 were collectedby JCCU) were handed to Ms. Feroukhi by Hiroshima
Mayor Mr. Matsui, I thought “this is truly the moment
where civic activities have reached the United Nations.”

At the NPT Review Conference this time, it was thefirst time that we collaborated with Mayors for Peace
leading up to the New York visit. From 2014 we held anumber of meetings with the City of Hiroshima andHiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, and as a result
were able to officially participate as the JCCU delegation in the Hiroshima Nagasaki Appeal Gathering in
New York organized by Mayors for Peace. On April 27,
ten representatives from JCCU attended the Gathering,which Japanese Foreign Minister Mr. Kishida also attended, and made a speech. Since the end of the WWII
we have consistently worked on civic peace activities as
one of our main activities, but this was the first time that
we had made a speech at an event related to the NPT
Review Conference.
At this gathering, three appeals were adopted asstatements.
1. The policymakers of the world, especially nuclear
states, must visit atomic cities of Hiroshima andNagasaki.
2. In further negotiations regarding nuclear disarmament, they must heed and deepen their understanding of
the inhumane consequences of nuclear weapons.
3. As stated in Article VI of the NPT, all States Parties
must reconfirm the fact that they are concerned parties
regarding nuclear weapons abolition, and begin negotiations in good faith towards the conclusion of a nuclear
weapons convention.
Hiroshima Prefecture Consumers’ Co-operative
Union agreed with them too.
As you are aware, the Review Conference this timebroke up in disagreement, with continued opposition between the nuclear weapon states and the non-nuclear
weapon states. However, the groundswell of opinion regarding the inhumanity of nuclear weapons is changing
greatly, and the activities of hibakusha are spreading, reflected in the voices of the people of the world. Basedon the issues faced by all nations, we lobbied representatives of the United Nations, the nuclear weapon states
and the non-nuclear weapon states. Representatives of
all nations interacted with integrity. Nonetheless I keenly felt that at this point in time, the “inhumanity of nuclear weapons” has not yet become a global value forthe coexistence of humankind.
After returning to Japan, the event “For a PeacefulWorld Free of War and Nuclear weapons – A Gatheringof Citizens” was held on June 5, 2015 in Hiroshima
City, organized by the Executive Committee made up of
six civic organizations. This year marked the 5th timethat this gathering has been held, and participation was arecord 224 people, including Hiroshima Governor Mr.
Yuzaki, Hiroshima Mayor Mr. Matsui, local administra-

Hiroshima Mayor submits a petition to the UN4organized by the Japan Studies Association (JSA), an
American organization in which Japan researchers invarious fields work toward the spread of Japan studies.
A total of 46 people participated in the workshop: 32
young university teachers from America and 14 teachersand students from Philadelphia Community College. They
learned about and discussed Hiroshima and Nagasaki fromvarious angles. The directors of Hiroshima Peace Culture
Foundation and Hiroshima City University Hiroshima
Peace Institute were the honorary joint chairpersons forthe event.
Over the two days of June 29 and 30, mainly in theseminar room in International Conference Center
Hiroshima, there was a lecture by this Foundation’s
Chairperson Mr. Komizo, an atomic bomb testimony
by Ms. Keiko Ogura, and a lecture by the Director of
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Mr. Shiga. There
were also lectures given by Mr. Kikkawa, President ofHiroshima Peace Institute, Mr. Mizumoto the VicePresident, and Asso­ciate Professor Mr. Jacobs, and a discussion on atomic bomb literature. Participantsalso toured Peace
Memorial Park,
Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Muse­um, Radi­a tion
Effects Re­search Lecture “Towards a peaceful world free of
nuclear weapons: Role of the Hiroshima
Founda­t ion and Peace Culture Foundation and Mayors for
Peace” by Mr. Komizo
more.
The JSA had previously held a 4-day conference inHiroshima in 2003 with support from this Foundationand Hiroshima Peace Institute.
(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division)

tive chief and public officials of 8 cities and 7 towns in
Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima Peace Culture
Foundation, voluntary organizations, union members
and executives from Consumers’ Co-operative Unionsfrom around Japan, and more.
Through this gathering, I felt once again that now is
the time that the world’s leaders must face the reality ofthe damage from the atomic bombing and fulfill theirduties as leaders, and that it is important that we the citizens work together to promote peace activities as “oneHiroshima” and “one Japan”, crossing differences inthought and beliefs, to have a major impact on nuclear
weapon states and their allies.
Throughout the world there are new conflicts and withthem a higher risk that nuclear weapons will be used.
When we look back on history, the approach of deterrence is not one that has lasted long. On the contrary,with the increasing possibility of an upset of the world’s
power balance, which was centered on the West, there
are growing fears that nations that possess nuclear weapons will provoke mutually assured destruction (MAD),
leading to a crisis threatening the existence of humankind. We also need to manage the risk of nuclear matter
itself.
In order to ensure that nuclear weapons are not usedagain, we must demand the immediate abolition of nuclear weapons, which are inhumane weapons of mass
destruction.
What we must do is to carry on the wishes of hibakusha, communicate them, and build a network that many citizens can join that aims for a peaceful world without war and nuclear weapons. Through such a network,
we must communicate peace to the world.
ProfileKoki Takada
Started working at Hiroshima Consumers’ Co-operative Union in
1980. Worked in various positions including Joint Purchasing Business
Manager, Corporate Planning Office Manager, Welfare Business
Manager and others. Dispatched to the Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union as Welfare Business Promotion Manager from 2006.
After working as Director of Hiroshima Consumer’s Co-operative
Union, assumed current position in 2013.

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Study Course−Central Connecticut State University−

The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are asking colleges and universities around the world to establish and promote HiroshimaNagasaki Peace
Study Courses
designed to analyze and disseminate A-bomblessons as a com­
mon social andintellectual asset The group from Central Connecticut State
University after listening to the atomic bomb
testimony by Ms. Keiko Ogura
for humankind.

2015 Japan Studies Association
Hiroshima-Nagasaki Workshop
From June 28 to July 5, 2015, the “Remembering
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: 1945-2015” workshop washeld in Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities, to commemorate
70 years since the atomic bombings. The workshop was
5

On June 6 and 7, 2015, fourteen students and twoteachers from Central Connecticut State University(US), which offers the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Study
Course, visited Hiroshima for a field trip.
While in Hiroshima the group visited Peace
Memorial Park and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum,
listened to an atomic bomb testimony by Ms. Keiko
Ogura, and participated in a recital of atomic bomb poetry at the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for
the Atomic Bomb Victims. Through such activities theylearned about the actual damage from the atomic bombing. In addition they also had opportunities to interact
with students from Hiroshima University of Economics.
The teacher leading thestudents this time wasProfessor Tomoda, a second-generation A-­b omb
survivor whose late mother’s picture is registered in
the Hiroshima National
Peace Memorial Hall for
the Atomic Bomb Victims.
In this way the participants
felt even closer to the
Learning about the bombing at
atomic bombing and comclose hand through viewing theportrait of Professor Tomoda’smunicating the memory of(right) late motherit to future generations.
(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division)and have learned
about the working environment
and lifestyle inJapan. My cowork­ers and supervisors in theworkplace are
Ms. Krajangchai at work
very nice people– they look after me and give me a helping hand when I
have problems. My experience in Hiroshima is one of
the best experiences in my life and one that I surely will
never forget.
In my home of Thailand, we have not experienced
the damage of the atomic bomb, and for this reason,
learning about what happened in Hiroshima and the suffering of the survivors has been a valuable experience
for me. The scale and the tragedy of the atomic bombing
and the suffering that resulted from it was even greaterthat what I had imagined when I was in Thailand. It
pains me whenever I come across the reality of the damage from the bombing.
By coming to Hiroshima, learning from experts, related documents, the Peace Memorial Museum and the
media, and speaking with A-bomb survivors, I havebeen able to gain a better understanding of the reality ofthe damage from the bombing. I have also visited theRadiation Effects Research Foundation and learned
about the effect of radiation on people.
When I return to Thailand I want to tell people about
what I have experienced and learned in Hiroshima, andcommunicate the importance of peace. I believe that weshould reject any type of nuclear weapon, and should
never possess nuclear weapons for any reason.
(Article contributed February 2016)“Working as an Intern for Mayors for
Peace”by Busba Krajangchai,from Bangkok, Thailand
My name is Busba Krajangchai, and I work for the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in theKingdom of Thailand. I have been dispatched by the
BMA, which is a Mayors for Peace leader city, and havebeen working as an intern in the Mayors for Peace secretariat from the end of October 2015 to the end of March2016. I am very grateful to have been given this oppor­
tunity to work at Mayors for Peace, which aims to createa peaceful world free of nuclear weapons.
My life in Hiroshima has proceeded smoothly. Before
coming to Japan, I was worried about whether or not I
would be able to blend into a completely different culture with inadequate preparation. However after coming
to Japan I found that Hiroshima is a wonderful city, bothfor living in and for visiting. Here I have been able to get
involved in work for the May­ors for Peace, Hiroshima
Peace Memorial Museum and Hiroshima University,

30th Children’s Peace Drawings
Competition−Many outstanding works submitted−
The awards ceremony for the Children’s Peace Drawings
Competition was held on December 12, 2015.
The aim of the competition, which has been held every year since 1986, is to heighten children’s awarenessof peace. This year marks the 30th time it has been held.
A total of 4,227 works were submitted by students from122 elementary and junior high schools in Hiroshima
City, and 237 works were sent in from elementary andjunior high school students from 6 foreign countries(America, Australia, India, Iran, Korea and Russia), fora total of 4,464 works submitted in total.
6

The ceremony was attended by 33 of the Excellence
and Distinction Award winners and their parents, and thewinners received a certificate and commemorative gift
at the ceremony.
In conjunction with the competition, there was an
exhibition of the works held from the day of the awards
ceremony to January 15 this year, in the foyer in front of
the Memorial hall on floor B1 of the East Wing of theHiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
On display at the exhibition were 102 of the works
awarded the Excellence, Distinction and Merit Awards.
The names of the winners of the Excellence,
Distinction, Merit and Honor Awards are listed in the
Kids Peace Station section of the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum home page. (http://www.pcf.city.
hiroshima.jp/)

Excellence(Elementary School Category)
Ayane Ueno
6th grade, Hiroshima Municipal
Yanominami Elementary School

Hiroshima City Consultation Service
for International Residents〜 Consultation and interpreting services
are available free of charge 〜

Location: International Conference Center Hiroshima,
1st Floor(1-5 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City)
Date/Time: Monday to Friday / 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(Except for national holidays, year-end and New Yearholidays, and August 6)
Tel: 082-241-5010
E-mail: soudan@pcf.city.hiroshima.jp
Languages available: English, Portuguese, Spanish,
Chinese, Korean(Other languages are available with the cooperation ofregistered volunteer interpreters.)

Excellence (Overseas Category)Seyede Saba-Mostafavi Montazeri
2nd grade, junior high school, Islamic Republic of Iran(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Outreach Division)

We maintain strict confidentiality. Feel free to give us a call.

Report: Donations for Nepal
Earthquake Victim Relief

Peace Memorial Hall Special Exhibition“Memoirs of the Atomic Bombing:
The Earliest Accounts of the Hiroshima
A-bomb”

On April 25, 2015, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit
Nepal, with the epicenter close to the capital, Kathmandu.
Approximately 30,000 people died or suffered injuries,
and many people were affected by the earthquake.
In consideration of the huge scale of the damage
from the disaster, Hiroshima City and this Foundation
conducted humanitarian fund-raising activities fromMay 15 to July 30. Many individuals and organizations
donated generously, and the total amount raised was
1,572,741 yen. The funds raised were sent on August 14
to Japan Red Cross and to earthquake-hit Kathmandu
City (a member city of Mayors for Peace) as aid for
those affected by the disaster.
(International Relations & Cooperation Division)

Period: January 1 (Fri.) ~ December 28 (Wed.),2016
Place: Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for
the Atomic Bomb Victims B1F
The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the
Atomic Bomb Victims holds a special exhibition every
year on a specific theme, to introduce people to atomic
bombing memoirs and other materials.
The theme this year is Memoirs of the Atomic
Bombing, which were collected through an invitation
for submissions by the City of Hiroshima in 1950. At
the time only five years had passed since the bombing,7

and wounds had still not healed, and many people responded to the invitation by the City, the purpose ofwhich was to build a peaceful world.
Japan was still occupied at the time, and with theoutbreak of the Korean War, the Cold War between the
East and the West also intensified. In light of this situation, the Peace Festival, which had been scheduled forAugust 6, was cancelled by GHQ at the last minute. The
plan had been to compile the 18 memoirs and 16 excerpts that had been selected from those submitted into abook which would then be widely distributed in Japanand overseas. However because of this turn of events the
documents stayed in the warehouse for a long period oftime.
Reading through the documents now, which were recorded just five years after the bombing at a time when
vivid memories of the disaster still clearly remained, thememoirs provide a direct depiction of the tragedy of thedisaster and the situation at the time.
At the exhibition
venue will be film versions of atomic bombing memoirs by threepeople, shown on athree-part screen. Vis­
itors will also be able
to read the full text of
17 people’s memoirs inJapanese, English,
Chinese and Korean.
Below are excerpts
taiken-ki (Memoirs of thefrom two of the mem- Genbaku
Atomic Bombing)oirs on display, those of (Hiroshima Peace Memorial Service
Committee, 1950)
Ms. Taeko Nakamae
and Mr. Koichi Toda.

Wakita encouraged me each time I began to nod off.
Thanks to her help, I was able to reach the middle of theriver, where I was picked up by a boat, which took us toan aid station on Hijiyama Hill.…
Mr. Toda was 33 years old at the time of the bombing,
and was a dentist working in charge of aid in Kabe
Town in Asa District.
…On the third day, however, approximately two dozen
physicians and dentists came to the town to support us.
Although this made the situation slightly better, there
was still a shortage of physicians, hygiene products, anddrugs. We tore kimonos and used them as bandages, andprocured cooking oil.……There were no heart stimulant
and Ringer’s solution. Accordingly, we made an injection solution of caffeine and sodium benzoate or isotonic sodium chloride, and began to use the solution on thefifth day. This attempt was better than nothing. It had aprofound psychological impact on patients, comparedwith when they were treated with only cooking oil and
Mercurochrome. We did not even have enough time toeat. When a blackout was ordered, we had extreme difficulty treating patients when we did the rounds at night.
As the proverb goes, “Man turns to God only in trouble.” Physicians were like Jesus Christ for patients atthat time. I had never been more satisfied with my mission as a physician than I was then. That motivated me
to do my best to treat my patients.…

Ms. Nakamae was 15 years old at the time. She experienced the atomic bombing as a mobilized student working at the Hiroshima Central Telephone Exchange.
…But fire still kept drawing closer, making it unsafe for
us to linger. Everyone started moving, desperate to reachHijiyama Hill on the other side of the river. But Tsurumi
Bridge, the only way across, started to burn.……There
was no time to lose. Everyone scrambled to get into theriver in an attempt to swim across. Those around me advised against going into the water, saying my wounds
were too bad, but there was no room for hesitation. I
started to swim, clutching Ms. Wakita by the hand.
Although I was normally never afraid of water, in thisinstance I ran out of breath after only a short distance;
my limbs felt stiff, and it became more and more difficult to keep going. Perhaps I would be better off dead,that would cut short the pain, I started to think, but Ms.

Manuscripts of personal accounts of the atomic bombing that theCity of Hiroshima solicited from the general public (Collection ofHiroshima Municipal Archives)

The rest of the memoirs may be read at the exhibition
venue and the Library in the Memorial Hall. Three people’s memoirs are also viewable on the Memorial Hall’s
home page.
In addition to the memoirs, at the venue are also displays of A-bomb materials related to the writers, newspapers articles that indicate what kind of era it was atthat time around 1950 when the atomic bombing memoirs were collected, and more. Videos will also be available for rental as DVDs as peace study materials. Pleasecontact the Memorial Hall if you are interested.
8dren, students and others visiting Hiroshima to learn
about peace.
There are also many visitors from overseas, andsome of the testimonies have been translated into
English, Chinese, Korean, and 22 languages in total, sothat people can read them in their mother tongue. There
are also other activities to broadly communicate the content both in Japan and overseas, including English readings of A-bomb testimonies, and the posting of A-bomb
testimonies and videos of the testimonies on the Peace
Memorial Hall’s home page.
(Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims)

Peace Memorial Hall receives
3 millionth visitor
The number of visitors to the Hiroshima National Peace
Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims reached 3 million on February 2, 2016. The 3 millionth visitor was Mr.
Kazuo Itakura, who was in Hiroshima City as a tourist.
Director Masaki Kano presented Mr. Itakura with acommemorative gift of DVDs of the Memorial Hall’s
special exhibition “Children of Hiroshima (2014 and2015 versions)”, as well as an illustrated book showing
the damage from the atomic bombing and a bouquet offlowers. Mr. Itakura said “Some of my acquaintances are
A-bomb survivors. I want to reaffirm my awareness that
we should never go to war again.”
Director Kano commented “The A-bomb survivors
are getting old, and there are fewer opportunities to hear
their tes­timonies directly. This means that the role of thePeace Memorial Hall is becoming more important. We
will continue to collect testimonies and translate theminto multiple languages so that we can pass on to as many people as possible the wishes of the A-bomb survivors.”

Thinking about Peace“Together with the World FriendshipCenter”(Article contributed February 2016)by Michiko Yamane
Chairperson of the Board,
World Friendship Center
More than thirty years have passed since I got involvedin the World Friendship Center (WFC). While raisingchildren, I started coming to WFC when I was in myearly 30s and since then, I have really improved my understanding of Peace issues. Through volunteering activities such as interpreting hibakusha stories andHiroshima Peace Memorial Park guiding, I have hadmany chances to meet wonderful people from abroad
and to broaden my horizons. About 40 director couples
have come to WFC from America and I know as manyas 25 of them. Though each had a unique personalityand different skills, all of them were pacifists and very
dedicated to their duty. I could not help admiring their
hard work.
I was appointed the third chairperson in May 2012.
Since then, on top of daily activities, WFC has held anumber of important events like the One World Peace
Concert, the opening of the Schmoe House, and thestaging of “Breaking the Silence”, a play depicting theplight of Japanese-Americans in American internment
camps during the World War II. We celebrated the 50th
anniversary of WFC in April 2015 with 27 guests fromabroad, including former directors and descendants ofBarbara Reynolds. We had a series of memorial events
for a week as well as the 50th Anniversary ceremony.
This summer, WFC will accept teachers from theMr. Kazuo Itakura (left), the 3 millionth visitor to the Memorial Hall

The Peace Memorial Hall opened on August 1, 2002,
which means that the number of visitors reached 3 million in a period of 13 years, 6 months. The number ofvisitors in 2015 was around 253,000, marking a record
high for one year.
The Peace Memorial Hall includes the Hall of
Remem­brance, and the facility also has a registration of
the names and photographs of the A-bomb victims aswell as a collection of A-bomb testimonies and videos
of testimonies on display. The A-bomb testimonies arealso used in recitation sessions, to talk about and pass on
the horror of war and the atomic bomb and the importance of peace. The Memorial Hall receives many chil9

Middle East and support their workshop on peace education.

Japan and between Korea and Japan. The Korean PAX
started in 2003. It is a good opportunity to exchange
ideas related to peace and reconciliation. Eight delegates
including young people and a hibakusha are going to
Korea in March 2016.
Youth Peace Camp
Junior and senior high school students from China,
Korea and Japan get together in an annual summer
camp. After spending several days together, they become good friends overcoming misunderstandings intheir past shared history.
Visits to Mutsumi-en each month
WFC directors and English class students have visited an A-bomb survivors’ nursing home on the third
Thursday of each month since 1985. Funairi Mutsumien was the first nursing home for A-bomb survivors inJapan, established in 1970 next to Funairi Hospital.
There are 100 residents there. They cheerfully welcome
us and my sidekick for ventriloquism. We celebratebirthdays, share stories, and play games together.

Barbara Reynolds and the World FriendshipCenterBarbara came to Hiroshima
in 1951, when her husband
Earle was dispatched to the
Atomic Bomb Casualty
Commis­sion (ABCC) by the
U.S. government. She wasshocked to see the devastation
brought about by the American
atomic bomb. She identified
Barbara Reynolds
herself with hibakusha, andleft the words, “I, too, am a hibakusha.” The Barbara
Reynolds Monument was erected in Peace Memorial
Park in 2011. These same words are inscribed on themonument.
In 1962, along with two hibakusha, Barbara went ona Peace Pilgrimage to the nuclear countries, and again in
1964, she went around the U.S., Canada, the U.K., andEurope with 42 hibakusha, teachers, doctors, and interpreters. She appealed for the abolition of nuclear weapons. In 1965, Barbara founded the World FriendshipCenter with Dr. Tomin Harada. She was given the titleof a Special Honorary Citizen of Hiroshima for her dedication to world peace and for making Hiroshima known
to the world.
WFC activities
Hibakusha accounts
The WFC provides rooms for overnight guests, andwith advance request, we provide international visitorsfrom around the globe with a chance to listen to firsthand accounts by hibakusha of how their lives were affected by the A-bombing. They tell their experienceswith the wish that “No one else should ever suffer as wedid.” I have been interpreting hibakusha accounts for along time. The average age of hibakusha has reached 80
and the time left to listen to their stories is limited. WFC
needs to determine how to preserve these stories for the
future.
Guided tour in Peace Memorial Park
Knowledgeable trained Japanese volunteers provide
our guests with guided tours of the main 15 monuments
in Peace Memorial Park in English. We have a study
group meeting once a month.
Peace Ambassador Exchanges
Peace Ambassador Exchanges (PAX) are the evolution of Barbara Reynolds’ idea that world peace begins
with the building of personal and lasting friendships.
PAX programs are now conducted between America andMutsumi-en visit

Other activities
There are English conversation classes taught by theAmerican directors, translation classes to translate
A-bomb related texts, Peace Seminars to study nuclear
issues, Peace Choir which practices monthly and presents concerts, the publication of the “Yu-Ai Newsletter”
three to four times a year, the monthly “Fun Time in
English” activity, and a Christmas party. You cannot getbored at WFC.
ProfileMichiko Yamane
Appointed as the third Chairperson of the Board of WFC in 2012.
1987-1990, lived in Hong Kong, volunteering at Hong Kong Red
Cross Hospital and the camp for Vietnamese boat people. 1994-1995,
lived in Washington, D.C., volunteering at a Soup Kitchen for homeless people and at Meals On Wheels for elderly people. 2001, participated in a trip for healing and reconciliation supported by the Ministryof Foreign Affairs and met British former POWs. 2010, visited
University of Central Missouri as an interpreter for hibakusha.
Dispatched to the U.S., Germany, Poland and Korea on WFC’s Peace
Ambassador Exchange program to date.

10

cracks in the storehouse from the bomb’s blast. The tearoom started burning again, and fire was approachingfrom all side. Realizing that we had done all that we
could do, we left my dead mother and brother under themain hall and fled.

Memoir of the A-bombing“Passing on the Hiroshima Story to
Future Generations”

Tragic scenes at the riverbank where we fled
My father brought a kettle that was lying in the
kitchen. We filled it with water from the well pump andset off. My sister could not stand so I carried her on myback. When we finally reached the nearby riverbank, I
was amazed at the unbelievable scenes there.
Many soldiers were lying down, or sitting down,with their shirts off, and there were some who werecrawling into the river and drinking the water there.
When I got closer, I saw that the only hair remaining on
their heads was where they were wearing a hat, andfrom the rest of their head to their trousers their skin was
black, and the skin from their arms to the tips of theirfingers had peeled away and was hanging down. The
solders were all saying “Give me water, please give mewater” and holding out their hands. My father was formerly an army medic private first-class, and he hadsome medical knowledge. Saying “With burns like thatthey’re not likely to survive” he gave them water fromthe kettle we had brought, and they thanked him.
Suddenly rain started to fall. As the rain fell on ourclothes they started to turn black. My father said
“There’s something strange about this rain”, and we fledfrom the rain to an iron roof. This was what became
known as “black rain”.
When we looked from the river embankment to thedirection of the temple we could see that it was now ahuge fire with flames in a whirlwind swirling up to thesky. We returned to the riverbank, lay down and rested.

by Yoshinori Kuniwake,
Atomic Bomb Witness
for this Foundation
At home with family when the bomb was dropped
On August 6, 1945, I was 16 years old and a 4th year
student at a junior high school under the old system of
education. At just after 8am I was just about to leave thetemple (Hoshoin Temple in Hakushima town) that was
my home to head for my work site as a mobilized student, and I was sitting on a chair near the window on thesouth side of the main hall.
Suddenly I heard the sound of a plane nose-diving,
and thinking it sounded strange, there was a flash oflight and my head was hit with a boom. I was thrownand nearly lost consciousness. Coming to my senses I
looked around in all directions in the dark, and I saw a
ray of light shining in. Aiming for the light, I feverishly
removed obstacles and escaped from there. I had been
under the collapsed building.
I got out together with my younger brother, who was
in 5th grade at elementary school. When the two of us
called out for our parents, our father made his way out.
When my father saw the wound on my forehead, hebrought some cloth and tied it to stop the bleeding. The
three of us divided up and called out for our mother. It
was then that we heard the crying voice of what sounded like my younger sister. Listening for her voice we removed tiles and other rubble and found my four-yearold sister and got her out.
When we removed the rubble in the area where mysister had been we could see part of a kimono. It was mymother. A thick piece of wood was lying across herbody, and she had died instantly, holding my one-yearold brother. Our neighbor brought a saw, but we were
not able to cut through the thick wood. When I think
about it now, I tell myself that the one good thing wasthat at least she was not burned while she was still alive,
but after she had died.
Looking around, we saw that there were flames coming from the tearoom. We put out the fire with waterfrom the pond in the courtyard. This was a place where
fire was not used, so I think the heat wave from theatomic bomb must have started the fire. There were

“Tragic scenes at the riverbank where we fled”
Created by Ms. Yuki Tochida, Hiroshima Municipal Motomachi HighSchool Creative Expression Course, and Mr. Yoshinori Kuniwake

11Temple completely transformed
Close to evening, the fire had died down, so we decided to head for the temple.
The fire was out around the temple gate but thestorehouse and main hall were still burning. The carp inthe pond were all floating belly-up, dead. When I put myhand in the pond’s water it was hot.
The bright red sun set in the west, and a bright red
moon rose from the east. The area where my mother andbrother were buried under the main hall was still burning steadily with red and blue flames. I stood there wondering which flames were my mother’s and which weremy brother’s, and thinking that I should have died therewith them, I could not control my tears.

ProfileYoshinori Kuniwake
Born in 1929. Experienced the atomic bombing at the age of 16 as a
4th year junior high school student, while he was just about to leave hishome (Hoshoin Temple in Hakushima) 1.8km from the hypocenter.
After the war spent many years serving as a Buddhist priest. In 1998,
when working as the head of the local residents’ association, built theMemorial Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims on the riverbank
where many of the A-bomb victims had been cremated, as a prayer forworld peace.

Information from the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum

The East Building is closed until
October 2016

Praying for peace
In 1945 there were nine in my family – my parents,
older sister, myself, three younger sisters and two
younger brothers – but because of the atomic bomb I
lost four members of my family – my mother, two
younger sisters and one younger brother.
I am currently involved in activities to send to people in Japan and overseas the seeds of the Bodhi tree andsaplings of camellia tree that survived the bombing in
the grounds of the temple. I pray that the camellia flowers and the Bodhi trees envelop the world with their fragrance, and that we can achieve the abolition of nuclear
weapons and peace throughout the world.

Due to the renovation works, the exhibition rooms of theMuseum East Building are closed until October 2016.
Currently, the Main Building is open to visitors. We
apologize for any inconvenience that may cause and ask
for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
The location of the entrance remains in the East
Building. The summary panels of the closed East
Building are displayed in the gallery of the Main
Building.
Information of other facilities is as follows.
● Coin-Lockers: Available● Audio Guide: Available only for the Main Building.
● Museum Shop: A temporary museum shop is set up on
the 1st floor of the East Building.
● Video Theater: Closed● Library: Regular opening● Rest Space / Café: Regular opening
Renovation leaflet: http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/
topics/renovations_e.pdf
Inquiries: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Curatorial
Division／TEL: +81-82-241-4004

Two Bodhi trees survived the atomic bombing in the grounds of Hoshoin Temple and one of them was transplanted to Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Park.

Information

Our Newsletters Are Accessible on the Internet
You can read our newsletters (Japanese version and English
version) on the Internet.
[URL] http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/hpcf/paper/〔Request〕Please inform us if you change your mailing address.
HIROSHIMA PEACE CULTURE FOUNDATION
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/

HIROSHIMA PEACE CULTURE FOUNDATIONPEACE CULTURE
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