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| Top What's up around the Prime Minister August, 2003 |
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Prime Minister Attends Nagasaki Memorial Service
for the Dead and Peace Ceremony
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the annual Nagasaki Memorial Service for the Dead and Peace Ceremony held in front of the Peace Statue in Peace Park, Matsuyama-machi, Nagasaki City. At the ceremony marking the 58th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Prime Minister Koizumi offered flowers along with the representatives of atomic bomb victims and bereaved family members. The Bell of Nagasaki and sirens were rung at 11:02 a.m., when the atomic bomb was dropped, and the participants prayed silently. Prime Minister Koizumi who stood as a guest speaker said, in his address, "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," and further expressed the determination of Japan to continue to pursue this stance as it leads the international community in making utmost efforts to abolish nuclear weapons. After the ceremony, Prime Minister Koizumi visited the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, which just opened this July, and signed his name and offered flowers in the Hall of Remembrance.
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| Link: | Address by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the Nagasaki Memorial Service for the Nagasaki Peace Ceremony |