This is the full text of the Peace Declaration by Mayor Matsui of Hiroshima City at the Peace Memorial Ceremony held at Peace Park in Hiroshima City.
peace declaration
My mother was my admiration and raised me kindly and carefully.
At the time, the 16-year-old woman had no idea that the morning she left home with her mother's heartfelt lunch would be her last goodbye.
77 years ago in the summer, without warning, the first nuclear weapon was dropped on humankind and exploded that morning.
A woman near Hiroshima station was blown off her back by a booming blast with a tremendous light and lost her consciousness.
When she regained consciousness, she wandered around the still-smoldering city looking for her mother, and what she saw was a large number of charred black bodies.
Among them were charred corpses clinging to the necks of cows while standing, and bodies floating floating in the water due to the ebb and flow of the tide. I look back.
In Russia's invasion of Ukraine, policymakers who protect the lives and property of the people use the people as tools of war, depriving the lives and daily lives of innocent citizens of other countries.
And the idea is gaining momentum around the world that peace cannot be maintained without nuclear deterrence.
Based on the experience of war, these actions go against mankind's resolve to aim for a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons.
Abandoning the pursuit of the ideal of maintaining peace without the use of force and ignoring the status quo is nothing less than jeopardizing the survival of mankind.
The mistake must not be repeated.
Above all, entrusting the nuclear button to the rulers allows the hellscape of August 6, 1945 to be recreated, and continues to expose mankind to the nuclear threat.
All nuclear buttons must be rendered useless as soon as possible.
Also, is it permissible to intimidate others and deny the existence of others and stick to self-centered thinking?
We are now reminded once again of the words left by Tolstoy, the great Russian writer known for War and Peace: “Do not build your own happiness on the unhappiness of others. There is.”
Earlier this year, the five nuclear-weapon states issued a statement stating that "Nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought" and "We will fulfill our obligations under the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)."
Nonetheless, there are countries that not only have failed to steadily implement it, but have suggested the possibility of using nuclear weapons.
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The actions that the nuclear-weapon states should take now should be to build a bridge of trust between nations and take the first step towards realizing a world without nuclear weapons, rather than dreaming about it.
In order to resolve such actions, policymakers of nuclear-weapon states should definitely visit the atomic-bombed cities and face up to the consequences of using nuclear weapons.
And I would like you to be convinced that in order to protect the lives and property of the people, there is no fundamental solution other than the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Above all, I have high hopes for the policymakers who will attend the G7 Summit to be held here in Hiroshima next year.
Based on the wishes of the hibakusha for peace, Hiroshima has inherited the spirit of "never give up" from Mr. Tadashi Tsuboi, who dedicated his life to the abolition of nuclear weapons. continue.
Mayors for Peace, which has developed into a network of 8,200 cities for peace around the world, will hold its 10th General Assembly in Hiroshima this year.
At the General Assembly, we discussed the realization of a civil society in which each citizen shares the idea that "in order to live happily, it is important that there are no wars or armed conflicts, and that there is no social discrimination that endangers lives." Aim for
On top of that, we will strengthen cooperation with member cities that wish for peace and promote a “peace culture” that denies all forms of violence.
Mayors for Peace encourages policy makers to pursue diplomatic policies through dialogue without relying on nuclear deterrence.
At the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Nuclear Weapons Convention held in June this year, a declaration was made to resolutely reject the threat of nuclear weapons in the face of Russia's aggression.
It was also emphasized that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons contributes to and complements the NPT, with observers from countries dependent on nuclear weapons.
Based on this, the Japanese government will first play a role as a mediator at the NPT Review Conference, and at the same time, by all means participate in the next Conference of the Parties, become a party as soon as possible, and support the movement toward the abolition of nuclear weapons. I urge you to do so.
In addition, we strongly urge that the support measures for the hibakusha be enhanced, taking into consideration the many sufferings of the many hibakusha, whose average age exceeds 84, and who are suffering from various aspects of daily life due to the adverse effects of radiation on their minds and bodies.
Today, on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the Peace Memorial Ceremony, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the souls of the atomic bomb victims. I pledge to do my best with the people of
August 6, 2022 Mayor of Hiroshima City Kazumi Matsui