Hiroshima, in the aftermath of the 6 August 1945 atomic bombing
Source: Office of Information, US Navy. Public domain.

The government of Japan, the world's only A-bombed nation, is duty-bound to humbly learn the philosophy of the hibakusha [victims of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki] along with the facts of the atomic bombings and to spread this knowledge through the world. At the same time, to abide by international law and fulfill its good-faith obligation to press for nuclear weapons abolition, the Japanese government should take pride in and protect, as is, the Peace Constitution, while clearly saying "No," to obsolete and mistaken U.S. policies. We further demand, on behalf of the hibakusha whose average age now exceeds 74, improved and appropriate assistance, to be extended also to those living overseas or exposed in "black rain areas."

Sixty-two years after the atomic bombing, we offer today our heartfelt prayers for the peaceful repose of all its victims and of Iccho Itoh, the mayor of Nagasaki shot down on his way toward nuclear weapons abolition. Let us pledge here and now to take all actions required to bequeath to future generations a nuclear-weapon-free world.

—Akiba Tadatoshi, Mayor of Hiroshima, Japan, in his 2007 Hiroshima Peace Declaration Aiming for a nuclear weapon-free world, delivered this morning. Translation at MSN-Mainichi.

Wei Zhong @ 11:02 pm