Issue 8 – Monday 7 August
A message from the Mayor of Hiroshima
Tadatoshi Akiba
I am happy to send this message to the Global Village 2006.
Hiroshima was totally destroyed by the world’s first atomic bombing. Because of this experience, this city has continually called for genuine world peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons. However, there are still tens of thousands ofnuclear weapons on our Earth, and in many countries and regions, children just your age are being killed in war.
It will not be easy to build a world that is free from war, but we must all work hard to build a system by which the people of the world can learn to cooperate, understand each other, and solve their problems by talking, not by fighting.
You are the ones who will control the Earth in the 21st century. I am sure you will become a powerful force for creating that kind of peaceful system.
Each and every person living on Earth will help to determine the future of the human family. In this sense, it is extremely important that you are participating in this Global Village 2006. This event will help you think about the joy of peace and the horror of war. I hope that you will all look around and think about what you can do for world peace.
I close with my best wishes for the success of the Global Village 2006 and good health for all the participants.
Tadatoshi Akiba
Mayor, The City of Hiroshima
August 6, 2006