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Join us this August 6-9 to show your support for a future without nuclear weapons.
This year, as we mark 81 years since the atomic bombings, the world still faces a significant risk of nuclear conflict. This critical moment calls for people around the world to come together to show our leaders that we demand a safer, brighter future for our families and communities. Join us from August 6-9 for the world's most visible demonstration for a future free from the threat of nuclear weapons.
About #CranesForOurFuture campaign
#CranesForOurFuture is an annual campaign led by the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace（HOPe）, Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefectures, and Nuclear Threat Initiative（NTI）. This social media initiative leverages online platform to spread a message of peace from Hiroshima and Nagaski to the world. Every year, we honor the memory of both cities by joining people worldwide to demand a more peaceful future－not another arms race.
How to participate
Between August 6 and 9, post a picture of a paper crane with the hashtag #CranesForOurFuture on social media, along with a message about what motivates you to fight for a safer, better future.
How to fold a paper crane
Messages from Atomic Bomb Survivors
Mr. HOYAMA Masao (Hiroshima)
At the time, I was a locomotive assistant at the Hiroshima Locomotive Depot. On the morning of August 6th, I boarded a train at Mihara Station to go to work, but at Kaitaichi Station, we were told that the train could not go any farther, and all passengers had to disembark. When I saw the road running alongside the railway tracks toward Hiroshima Station, I was stunned. It was teeming with people whose clothes were tattered and whose hair was disheveled. The injured were heading toward the suburbs on foot. The sight made me tremble with shock and tension. The devastation grew worse as I approached Hiroshima Station.
Flames were also approaching my boarding house, located a short distance south of Hiroshima Station, and the streets were strewn with debris. When I arrived at the locomotive depot for work, I saw that the buildings had been destroyed, and the place was in utter chaos, with injured people everywhere. Despite this, I was ordered to work and operated a train to Itozaki Station.
Even today, conflicts related to nuclear issues persist both in Japan and around the world. I myself escaped direct exposure to the atomic bomb, but Hiroshima became a living hell on earth that day. I hope to share anti-nuclear and anti-war messages with as many people as possible so that this tragedy never happens again.
Ms. MITAMURA Shizuko (Nagasaki)
At the age of three years and eight months, I was exposed to the atomic bombing while eating with my family of four on the veranda of our home in Fukuda, located four kilometers from the hypocenter. At the time, I unknowingly ate ash that fell onto my rice, which is believed to have been radioactive fallout.
In the years that followed, two of my older sisters developed cancer, and one of them passed away. I myself have also battled cancer twice and have struggled with various health problems.
Today, I share my experiences as an atomic bomb survivor by presenting them through illustrated storytelling (kamishibai) at schools and other venues. Through this work, I strive to pass on the tragedy and folly of nuclear weapons. I will continue to appeal to younger generations for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for the importance of peace and the value of life.
