Excerpts from Mayor Matsui’s Policy Speech at the Hiroshima City Council
about "a city with a shared wish for peace"（June 17, 2011)
“Hiroshima, which raised itself from the ashes after becoming the first victim of an atomic bombing, must become an international city of peace. More than any other place in the world, we must create a place with a peaceful atmosphere where peace can flourish. Such an international city of peace will attract people from around the world and further promote efforts toward everlasting peace without nuclear weapons.”
“Promoting Hiroshima as ‘a city with a shared wish for peace’: Representing
a city of peace, I will continue the achievements made by my predecessors
in the areas of nuclear abolition and the realization of lasting world
peace. To implement efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, I would like to
further strengthen relationships with citizens and NGOs, and attract many
more people to visit Hiroshima to share our wish for peace with them. To
share our wish for peace with visitors, I am promoting support for hibakusha’s
testimonies, collection and utilization of A-bomb exposed materials, and
preservation and maintenance of peace memorial facilities.”
Excerpts from Mayor Matsui’s Response to Question at the Hiroshima City
Council
about Mayors for Peace （June 23, 2011)
“To urge heads of nuclear weapon states to abolish nuclear weapons, it
is important to further arouse international public demand for a world
without nuclear weapons at the municipal level.”
“Mayors for Peace, which has more than 4,700 member cities around the world,
is a very effective network to arouse international public demand for nuclear
abolition. I will continue to strengthen the membership of Mayors for Peace”
“The ‘2020 Vision Campaign’ which aims to abolish nuclear weapons by the
year 2020 continues to be our goal. In conjunction with this campaign,
I would like to promote a petition drive to demand the start of negotiations
on a nuclear weapons convention, in cooperation with cities, citizens and
NGOs around the world.”
“I will promote this petition drive by asking member cities at every possible
occasion for cooperation and also through asking Japanese member cities
during the Japanese member cities meeting.”
“Through these efforts, I would like to continue to create further momentum
toward the abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020.”
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