Topics 2010
Impressions after the 2010 Hiroshima Seminar, International Christian University (ICU)
2The following are excerpts of impressions of the 2010 Hiroshima Seminar from a questionnaire conducted by the ICU in March 2010.
(1) Tour of the Peace Memorial Museum
- An amazing Memorial Museum, it was an eye-opening experience for me however It would have been nice to find some memorials of other disasters of weapons of mass destruction in Japan such as; memorials of Nagasaki bombing, Tokyo air strikes etc.
- We were a bit rushed through the exhibits and unfortunately couldn’t spend as much time as we would have liked looking at the displays in many rooms. An extra 30-60 minutes in the museum would have been good. The museum itself was excellent!
- Build my awareness about the atomic bomb, and hope there will no more victim because it.
(2) Discussion with Mr. Leeper (Chairman, Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation)
- This was very informative to learn about the mayors' initiatives worldwide as cities unite to promote nuclear disarmament as well the upcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty meeting in May.
(3) Video Viewing "HIROSHIMA: A Mother's Prayer"
- Heart wrenching.
- Very powerful, a good choice for a movie.
- Very powerful, a good choice for a movie. ○ Interesting but limited and not very up to date. There are other documentary videos such as White Light/Black Rain, that are not exclusively about Hiroshima but also include the story of Nagasaki. White Light/Black Rain features interviews with fourteen A-bomb survivors from both cities. Importantly it also features interviews with Americans involved in the attacks and probes their feelings about the use of the bombs sixty years later.
(4) Testimony of the A-bomb Survivor (Mr. Matsushima)
- A rare privilege and great honour to meet and hear Mr. Matsushima’s testimony in person.
- He was an excellent speaker and it was interesting to listen and talk to him.。
- Respect his courage and endurance.
- Great!
- Thank you so much for sharing.
(5) Exchange of Opinion with Hiroshima Peace Researchers
- This session provided excellent analysis from diverse perspectives including those from Korea and Singapore. This was a highlight of the study tour for me. At the same time it was a disappointment not to have the time for discussion or questions that arose from their presentations and other sessions we attended.
- Extremely interesting however it would have been best it we had more time to enter into open discussion. I would recommend for the next group to probably spend more time with them. It provided us with an opportunity to understand the deeper analysis of the issues.
(6) How has your view of Hiroshima changed after participationin the Hiroshima Field Trip?
- I learned a great deal more about the politics of both sides during and after the war. I was also able to learn a lot more about the bomb itself and the decisions that led to its use. Importantly we were able to hear diverse perspectives both of history but also of efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament.
- The trip to Hiroshima have added yet another cause to my motivation to work for World Peace and a motivation to work towards the protection of humanity. I am more aware of the issues related to the weapons of mass destruction and its impact. I will be more active in anti WMD campaign.
- I didn't realize before this trip that Hiroshima today is such an important center for promoting peace and nuclear disarmament. I had heard a lot about the A-bomb, the radiation effects and the history, but I didn't know how active Hiroshima is today in that work. I also really enjoyed seeing what a beautiful, vibrant city Hiroshima is today and what an amazing job Japan has done in rebuilding it.
- It opened my eyes to how this can be used to mobilize people to work toward greater peace in the world – I have more questions now though.
- It was an impressive experience. I have understood more about Japanese sentiment of responsibility for the military Japanese leaders who chose the path of war, making war itself and the use of the A-bomb the focus of peace campaigns, not remaining in the vicious circle of the blame-game. I also understood there are more complexities to the Japanese reality of having lost the war to the US, and having been subjected to US military presence, and how that must have contributed to shaping a lot of its history, national sentiment and the forging of its new national identity ever since. It made me reflect a lot comparatively to the Holocaust and its own museums of remembrance, and what they promote.
- A-bomb must be stop as soon as possible, and not only A-bomb itself but also the others bomb and biological bomb that had been used by Israel to attacked Palestine. In my point of view, all bombs must be restricted to be use.
- My view has changed in that I no longer just think of Hiroshima as place of the atomic bomb, but more broadly of how the issue of nuclear weapons needs to be addressed. Additionally, though it’s still greater than that of nuclear weapons but of how warfare is changing. I did not know how involved the city has been with peace movement.
