Peace Declaration (1988)

Hiroshima. The very name is symbolic of mankind's fervent quest for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the attainment of lasting peace.

That blazing holocaust of 43 years ago even today remains burned into our memories. "No More Hiroshimas." This is the anguished cry of all people subjected to the horrible nuclear threat.

Hiroshima's appeal has today spread worldwide, and public opinion around the globe is pressing to transform international politics from conflict to dialogue, from distrust to friendship.

The recent signing of the INF Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union gives hope for a future dominated not by the threat of annihilation but by the promise of survival, and it is a worthwhile historical first step toward comprehensive nuclear disarmament. Yet the numbers involved are small, and we must not forget the fact that not only land masses but also the seas and even space are all arenas for modern nuclear strategy.

It was in this context that the Third Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament was held and that I made the strongest possible presentation of the Hiroshima Spirit of yearning for lasting peace. Several Vice Presidents from the World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity also attended this Special Session with me. Today, the Program to Promote Solidarity of Cities towards the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons includes 228 municipalities in 40 countries and is steadily growing, becoming a new force for coalescing world opinion for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

It is most regrettable that representatives more concerned with narrow national interests prevented the Special Session from adopting a final resolution calling for comprehensive global disarmament - this despite the fact that it drew the participation of a record number of government leaders and non-governmental organization representatives and despite the animated debate that took place on the specifics of a nuclear test ban and nuclear non-proliferation.

Yet the voice of Hiroshima rings out. The abolition of nuclear weapons is the number-one priority issue for human survival, and there must be no digression from this goal. Just as we are calling upon all nations to strengthen and revitalize the United Nations' peacekeeping functions, so do we hope that the United Nations will take the initiative in holding an international conference on peace and disarmament here at Hiroshima's ground zero.

Today, Hiroshima is host to the '88 International Youth Peace Symposium in Hiroshima enabling young people from sister cities worldwide to sit down and talk with the people of Hiroshima to ensure that the Hiroshima experience is not forgotten. Next August, the Second World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity will be held in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki to further strengthen the bonds of solidarity. And in October 1989, the Ninth Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War will be held in Hiroshima to renew its resolve that there be No More Hiroshimas.

Hiroshima is determined to continue to sound the alarm and to arouse world opinion in the cause of world peace so that there is infinite potential for a bright future for all mankind in the 2lst century.

Hiroshima renews its appeal: For a comprehensive nuclear test ban. For the total abolition of all nuclear weapons. For present and future world leaders to come to Hiroshima and see for themselves the devastating horror of nuclear war. For the establishment of an international research institute for peace and disarmament in Hiroshima.

Hiroshima is also deeply concerned about the millions of people suffering from starvation, impoverishment, human rights abuses, regional conflicts, and other forms of deprivation, and we appeal urgently to all nations to find a just resolution to these people's desperate plight.

The government of Japan should actively pursue measures to contribute to world peace in keeping with the modem significance of the Constitution's ideal of peace and in line with its three non-nuclear principles. In addition, we most strongly appeal to the government to promptly implement hibakusha relief measures in the spirit of national indemnification.

Today - the 43rd anniversary of that fateful August 6 so many years ago - we offer our prayers for the repose of the victims' souls and pledge ourselves to working untiringly for the cause of lasting world peace.

August 6, 1988

Takeshi Araki
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima