Peace Declaration (1971)

The general situation of the world is marked by a keen armament race frantically contested by enlisting the whole scientific and technological force, thereby developing a nuclear weaponry system of growing monstrosity and diversification that has aggravated the fear of the world to the last limit with its incredibly destructive power and radiation hazards. On the other hand, warlike actions in Vietnam are being repeated endlessly, exposing the inhabitants of the area to miserable death and hopeless suffering by tens of millions. As we stand now before the consecrated souls of the victims of the atomic bombing, this state of affairs fills our hearts with profound grief, and we feel a strong urge to condemn it as wholly impermissible.

While all men are born free and equal in dignity and rights, war violates the fundamental human rights and as such is an inexcusable crime. All the more so is a modern war, inasmuch as it is clear that, if carried to the extreme, it would invite nuclear retaliations which would plunge mankind into the crisis of total annihilation.

The wound inflicted on Hiroshima by the atom bomb of twenty-six years ago today was of far-reaching nature: the human lives deprived by it reached a quarter-million, and the survivors exposed to its radiation still live under its constant threat to their life, while its fullest effects yet lie hidden from man's knowledge. The lesson of this terrible experience teaches that the nuclear weapons should be abolished and all wars totally renounced.

Thus we offer this proposition: Now is the time to formulate a well-defined concept on human existence; to fully realize the fact that we as inhabitants of the earth all share one and the same destiny; and, by setting up a new world structure founded on the awakened consciousness of world-citizenship, to build a human community free from all wars. This will entail upon all nations of the world that they act upon the fundamental spirit in which the Japanese Constitution has renounced wars, and liquidate their military sovereignty completely by transferring it to a world organization binding mankind in solidarity. As prerequisite to this, we strongly demand immediate halting of all current wars on earth and speedy conclusion of an agreement banning the use of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, in order that the meaning of war and peace may be handed down infallibly to the coming generations, education for peace should be promoted with vigour and cogency throughout the world. This should be the absolute way to avoid the recurrence of the tragedy of Hiroshima.

We appeal this to the world far and wide as we observe today the twenty-sixth anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima by the atomic bombing and pay our homage to the fallen victims of the catastrophe.

August 6, 1971

Setsuo Yamada
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima