Thursday, August 9, 2001
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On the fifty-sixth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the annual Nagasaki Memorial Service for the Dead and Peace Ceremony, held in Peace Park, Matsuyama-machi, Nagasaki. Following the "Peace Declaration" from Mayor Itcho Ito of Nagasaki City and the "Commitment to Peace" from Ms. Sanae Ikeda representing the atomic bomb survivors, and "Kora no Mi Tamayo" ("The Spirit of our Children") sung by a children's choir, Prime Minister Koizumi stated, "Being the only country ever to have experienced nuclear devastation, Japan observes its Peace Constitution, firmly maintaining the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Japan is also continuing to appeal to the international community for the abolition of nuclear weapons and realization of a permanent peace so that the horror of nuclear weapons may never again be repeated." He further affirmed, "The success of the Nagasaki Global Citizens' Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons held in Nagasaki last year was greatly significant as an approach that orchestrated the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in and outside of Japan towards the elimination of nuclear weapons." Prime Minister Koizumi noted, "As regards the atomic bomb victims, I will continue to devote myself wholeheartedly to promoting support measures while taking into full consideration the circumstances of the atomic bomb victims who are advancing in years." After the end of the ceremony, Prime Minister Koizumi went to Megumi no Oka, a nursing home in Nagasaki, and visited some of the patients. |