Hiroshima-ICAN Academy on Nuclear Weapons and Global Security Hiroshima Session Day ３
November 15 (Fri.) Day 3
○ Day 3 program
・Courtesy visit to the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture
・ Courtesy visit to the Mayor of Hiroshima
・ Lecture: “About foreign A-bomb survivors”
Mr. Shunsuke Taga, Co-Chair of the Association for the Monument to the “Chinese” Hibakusha
The third day of the Hiroshima-ICAN Academy began with a visit to the Hiroshima Prefectural Office.
At the Hiroshima Prefectural Government, the participants met with Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki and attended a lecture on peace initiatives implemented by Hiroshima Prefecture and the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe) and issues to be addressed in the future.
The lecturer explained the three approaches that Hiroshima Prefecture, the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, has taken in promoting its peace policy, citing the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, security, and sustainability, and its efforts to increase support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Among these three approaches, the idea that “nuclear deterrence is a fiction,” which was used during the explanation of the security approach, seemed to have piqued the interest of the participants. The clear rejection of nuclear deterrence, a theory considered internationally as “taken for granted” in recent security policy, seemed to have had a significant impact on the participants.
In the afternoon, participants visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and met with Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui.
Mayor Matsui gave a lecture on Hiroshima City’s peace efforts, including the initiatives of the Mayors for Peace, which Hiroshima City chairs, and the city’s efforts as an A-bombed city to pass on A-bomb testimonies to future generations using digital technology.
Mayor Matsui mentioned the importance of fostering a culture in which each citizen thinks about peace in his or her daily life, as the hibakusha are getting older and the day is approaching when people will no longer be able to hear directly from the survivors about the reality of the atomic bombings. The participants seemed to have acquired a deeper understanding of the diversity of approaches to peace-related policies.
After meeting with the mayor, the participants returned to the main venue for a lecture on foreign hibakusha by Mr. Shunsuke Taga, co-chair of the Association for the Monument to the “Chinese” Hibakusha and a member of Hiroshima Peace Volunteers.
In Hiroshima, we know that at the time of the bombing, there were citizens of mainland China and Taiwan, as well as the U.S., that dropped the bomb. However, it was said that the existence of such people may have been taken out of consideration in the operation to drop the atomic bomb, and Mr. Taga spoke in detail about their presence in Hiroshima.
One of the participants who listened to the lecture commented that she was unaware of the fact that people from her country had experienced the atomic bombing, and that if she could learn more about this topic, she might be able to help people in her country develop a mindset in favor of nuclear weapons abolition. The lecture seemed to have given her a renewed awareness of the need to abolish nuclear weapons.
For dinner this evening, participants dined freely in Hiroshima City. The participants went out into the city with their own wishes, saying, “I want to eat okonomiyaki (a popular pan-fried dish consisting of batter, cabbage, and other ingredients), which I have heard about from time to time!” or “I want to try Japanese curry,” and refreshed their energy.
The third day of the Hiroshima Session has come to an end, and only one day remains in the program.
Each participant will keep in mind what they have learned and felt in Hiroshima, and each of them will present what they have learned in this program at tomorrow’s open session.
Other Programs
- Click here to see the Online and Webiner session.
- Click here to see the first day of the Hiroshima session.
- Click here to see the second day of the Hiroshima session.
- Click here to see the last day of the Hiroshima session.
