“Hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors broadcast testimonies to online viewers around the world
Peace Boat, an NGO that organizes cruise trips around the globe to promote international exchange, has moved its main activities online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization continues to engage enthusiastically in peace-promoting activities. Since 2019, as an international governing body for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Peace Boat has been responsible for the planning and management of the Hiroshima-ICAN Academy on Nuclear Weapons and Global Security. In 2020, the organization broadcast online tours of the atomic bomb museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It has also held 30 online testimony sessions by “hibakusha” atomic-bomb survivors.
We spoke with the Peace Boat International Coordinators Watanabe Rika and Matsumura Masumi, who hold important positions within the organization.