By Daniel Leussink and Irene Wang
HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) – Guests to the memorial park for Hiroshima’s atomic bombing stated they hoped Friday’s Nobel Peace Prize for Japan’s atomic bomb survivors would enhance efforts for world peace and spur world leaders to go to the location.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prize to the Nihon Hidankyo group, representing survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its decades-long efforts to abolish nuclear weapons.
“As Japanese people, I believe we need to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen again,” Ui Torisawa, a 21-year-old scholar who was visiting the Peace Memorial Park along with her pal, informed Reuters.
“Since Japan is the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, and because similar things could be repeated in other countries, I think Japan is probably in the best position to stop that.”
August subsequent 12 months will mark the eightieth anniversary of the bombings. It’s doubtless to attract deal with the legacy of its survivors, often called “hibakusha”, and will set off a renewed debate about nuclear weapons.
Yasuhiro Suzuki, who was visiting the Peace Memorial Park together with his spouse, son and daughter from Fukuoka prefecture in southwest Japan, known as it “groundbreaking” that the group representing the atomic bomb survivors was awarded the Nobel Peace Value.
“Nuclear power is incredibly beneficial to the world, but we must be careful not to misuse it,” Suzuki stated. “I hope this becomes an opportunity for people around the world to think about various aspects of this issue.”
Hiroshima’s peace park has lengthy drawn not simply Japanese guests but additionally foreigners, together with world leaders corresponding to Barack Obama, who spoke on the website as U.S. president in 2016 and hugged a tearful hibakusha.
“I believe there are still many prime ministers and leaders in the world who could come (to Japan), and I hope they will make the effort to visit,” stated Hiroshima resident Hirokazu Tanabe, who works as a driver and who got here to the park to indicate round a pal.
Many Japanese really feel the U.S. ought to apologise for the bombings, which killed tons of of 1000’s and prompted Japan’s give up days later. Japan has since relied on the U.S. for defense, renouncing the correct to wage warfare and defining its army as just for self-defence.
Twenty-two-year-old scholar Ayane Takiguchi, who visited the park with Torisawa, stated it was an honour the group representing atomic bomb victims was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
“I myself am studying education, and I’ve recently recognised the importance of achieving peace through education,” she stated. “In that sense, I’m happy that this has such a big impact.”