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| Top What's up around the Prime Minister August, 2003 |
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Prime Minister Attends Hiroshima Memorial Service for the Dead and Peace Memorial Ceremony
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the annual Hiroshima Memorial Service for the Dead and Peace Memorial Ceremony held in Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City. About 40,000 participants including atomic bomb victims and bereaved family members attended the ceremony marking the 58th anniversary of the atomic bombing. The names of people recognized as atomic victims in the past year were added to the cenotaph, and the participants led by the bereaved family members, representative of the atomic bomb victims and Prime Minister Koizumi offered flowers. The peace bell was rung at 8:15 a.m., when the atomic bomb was dropped and the participants prayed silently, followed by the "Peace Declaration" by Mr. Tadatoshi Akiba, the Mayor of Hiroshima City and the "Promise for Peace" by child representatives. In the opening address, Prime Minister Koizumi said, "As the only nation in human history to be bombed with atomic weapons, Japan has complied with its peace constitution and firmly maintained the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, with its strong commitment not to repeat the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Prime Minister Koizumi also said, "Japan will continue to pursue this stance, and lead the international community to promote nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation and devote itself to abolish nuclear weapons through its enhancement of efforts to call on governments for early ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)." The Prime Minister also expressed his intention to make efforts to promote support measures for the atomic bomb victims, including those living abroad.
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| Link: | Address by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the Hiroshima Memorial Service for the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony |