Promoting the Culture of Peace

Introduction

The City of Hiroshima is the first city in the world to experience an atomic bombing in war. Our hibakusha experienced the horrors of the bombing, and their will for peace is why our city continues to strive for the peaceful coexistence and prosperity of all humanity, as well as the realization of a truly peaceful world.

Our city’s peace initiatives are supported by two laws: the Constitution of Japan and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law. The preamble of the Constitution of Japan stipulates: “We, the Japanese people, desire peace for all time and are deeply conscious of the high ideals controlling human relationship, and we have determined to preserve our security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace-loving peoples of the world.”

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law, which was established under the Constitution, designates our city “as a peace memorial city to symbolize the human ideal of sincere pursuit of genuine and lasting peace,” and states: “The Mayor of Hiroshima shall…establish a program of continuous activity toward completion of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City.” It is based on these laws that we continue efforts toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and realization of lasting world peace.

To make the goals stated in these laws a reality, it is necessary to create a society and an environment that makes it possible for each and every citizen not only to prefer peace for the sake of leading better, happier lives, but to take action for peace in their day-to-day lives. It is the municipalities’ role to implement community development strategies to achieve these goals, and I believe the culture of peace should be the groundwork of the process. As such, the City of Hiroshima is focused on helping to enable the culture of peace to take root in civil society, as well as to foster peace awareness－that is, working to promote the culture of peace.

But we cannot do this alone. Cities around the world must unite and cooperate in working toward promoting the culture of peace.

When we work together and strive for this goal, the hibakusha will for peace becomes a shared value in civil society. That shared value then becomes the consensus of civil society, and impacts world leaders, including those in nuclear-weapon-states. Only then will our leaders make the choice to pursue long-term security that does not rely on nuclear weapons for the sake of humanity instead of short-sighted security that focuses solely on their own nations.　

Index

• 1) The Atomic Bombing and the Spirit of Hiroshima
• 2) Becoming an International Peace Culture City
• 3) What is the Culture of Peace?
• 4) The Significance of Promoting the Culture of Peace
• 5) Promoting the Culture of Peace is the Role of Cities
• 6) The Will for Peace Based on the Realities of the Atomic Bombing
• 7) Promotion of the Culture of Peace by Mayors for Peace
• Conclusion: Importance of Citizen-Led Initiatives

Inquiries regarding this page

Peace Promotion Division, Citizens Affairs Bureau
Phone: 81-82-504-2898/ファクス: 81-82-504-2986
Eメール: [email protected]