Report by Ms. Tomoko Aikawa, Executive Advisor of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
On August 5, 2025, about 20 kilograms of paper cranes from Buenos Aires were dedicated at the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima. These cranes were folded at peace workshops during the 2024 “Hiroshima–Nagasaki Atomic Bomb and Peace Exhibition” in Buenos Aires, organized by the Argentine Ministry of Culture and the Sarmiento Cultural Center in cooperation with the City of Hiroshima and the City of Nagasaki, and were combined with senbazuru from Ituzaingó City, a secondary school in Berazategui, San Salvador de Jujuy, and Rosario’s long-running “Thousand Cranes Project.” As a prayer for peace from Argentina, they were altogether offered to the Children’s Peace Monument, a global symbol of peace and what many call the “Sadako Statue.”
It was carried out at 6:00 a.m. with the support of some Hiroshima citizens, livestreamed on Instagram and shared a message of hope for a world where children never again suffer from war, violence, or poverty.
On August 6, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Fundación Sadako encouraged participants in South America to join in a minute of silence at 8:15 a.m. in Hiroshima (8:15 p.m. in Argentina) and watch the official broadcast of the Peace Memorial Ceremony.
That same day, Tomoko Aikawa, this NGO Fundacion Sadako representative (https://www.instagram.com/fundacionsadako/) and Hiroshima City Special Peace Ambassador, met by chance an 89-year-old survivor who was nine at the time of the bombing. This direct dialogue reaffirmed the importance of preserving survivors’ testimonies. I also met with another hibakusha, Mr. Keisaburo Toyonaga, and handed him a small paper crane made through Thousand Cranes Project in Rosario to let him know that even in Argentina there are many people making paper cranes and praying for peace. Recognizing the ongoing nuclear threat, I renewed my commitment to sharing these memories and lessons, especially with Spanish-speaking communities in South America.
Photos: courtesy of Ms. Tomoko Aikawa